![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) * WhatsApp service * About Us ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) # Lagarde's alleged quote about old people cannot be substantiated December 17, 2020, 2:08 p.m. (CET) The former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is said to be... have made derogatory comments about senior citizens. A photo of Christine Lagarde is being shared on social media along with the following quote: “Old woman People live too long and it's a risk to the global economy, something must be done." According to a Facebook post, this statement is said to be in August 2019 (archived here). RATING: There is no evidence that Christine Lagarde - now Chair of the European Central Bank - has ever said this. At the request of the A spokesman for the ECB told the German Press Agency that the quote was “not correctly". General statements about the future of pension systems were made apparently exaggerated. FACTS: The French Christine Lagarde has been chairwoman of the since November 2019 European Central Bank (ECB). Previously she was from 2011 to 2019 Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The supposed one The quote would therefore fall during the time in which she held this office. Lagarde has spoken several times about the consequences of aging population could have worldwide. Just like in the quote circulating, she has However, according to the European Central Bank, it never said: “This Quote is incorrect,” said the ECB. The ECB spokesman pointed to one Several years old speech by Christine Lagarde that has been misquoted could be. At a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA the then managing director of the IMF pointed out in March 2016 that the population is growing rapidly in some parts of the world. In other regions In turn, society is aging and shrinking: “By the end of this century, around two thirds of all countries will have one Population decline expected. (...) Without measures, the public ones Pension and health systems will not be sustainable in the long term. Our Grandchildren would be with an unsustainable national debt and strong Faced with tax increases that inhibit growth and you could reduce economic well-being.” So this was by no means about devaluing older people. Lagarde's speech was a call for political action to ensure that the pension system continues can work. On another possible, much older origin of the invented quote wise fact checkers from “Correctiv” and the French newspaper “Liberation”. In 2012, the IMF published a report on global Financial stability. One chapter also deals with the “risk of Longevity". At a press conference, the then capital markets director of the IMF said, José Viñals: «The root of the problem is that in the past constant How long people live has been underestimated, and although we all agree If you think that living longer is a good thing, it has financial implications Risk. We could run out of money for pensions.” What is meant here is that states have to think about how they can do this Pension system and thus the provision of pensioners finance if they live longer and longer - which is essentially described as a positive development. By the way, Christine Lagarde was not present at this press conference. \--- Left: Facebook post incorrectly attributed to Christine Lagarde Statement (December 9, 2020): (archived: Christine Lagarde's CV: Lagarde speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA (March 2016): Fact check from “Correctiv” on the false quote (December 2020): christine-lagarde-said-old-people-would-live-too-long/ (archived: Fact check by the French newspaper “Libération” on the false quote (July 2020): na-pas-dit-que-les-personnes-agees-vivent-trop-longtemps_1793920 (archived: IMF report on global financial stability (April 2012): Stability-Report-April-2012-The-Quest-for-Lasting-Stability-25343 (archived: Transcript of the speech by the then IMF Capital Markets Director, José Viñals, on the presentation of the report (April 2012): (archived: List of participants in the press conference at that time (April 2012): \--- Contact the dpa fact check team: faktencheck@dpa.com powered by dpa-newslab | Imprint | Privacy | About:
The former head of the International Monetary Fund IMF is said to have made derogatory comments about senior citizens A photo of Christine Lagarde is being shared on social media along with the following quote Old people live too long and it is a risk to the global economy something must be done According to a Facebook post this statement is said to have been made in August 2019