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Staff
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Donors
Programs |
Publications | Highlights
Former Staff,
Consultants and Volunteers
Mission
Global Action on Aging (GAA), based in New York at the United Nations, reports on older people's needs and potential within the global economy. It advocates by, with and for older persons worldwide.
Basic Facts
Global Action on Aging (GAA), a non-profit organization with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, was founded in 1994.
GAA carries out research on critical emerging topics and publishes the results on its website. GAA staff and interns research aging policy and programs, both in the US and worldwide: income support, health access, and human rights. Interns post their research
daily to our website,
www.globalaging.org, one of the largest in the aging field. GAA posts materials in all six UN official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. It monitors United Nation activity on aging through the "Aging Watch at the UN" web-section and documents the situation of older persons caught in armed
conflict.
Staff
President:
Susanne S. Paul, formerly chaired the Non-Governmental Organizations on Ageing Committee at the UN. Author of many
publications including a book titled, Humanity Comes of Age, she writes and speaks widely about challenges to older persons world-wide.
Program Coordinator:
Magali Girod, studied Political Science and International Relations at
the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, in Aix-en-Provence, France. She
graduated with a Masters in International Administration from the
University of Panthéon-Assas, Paris, in March 2007. Consultants Rachel
McDavid, Bookkeeper. Jia Wei Li, Website Assistant, High School Diploma Candidate, Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Career, New York City, from China.
Jame Wong, System Administrator, B.S. in Computer Science, Brooklyn Polytechnic University.
Mei Fong Wong, Database Administrator, B.A. in Management Information Systems, Pace University. Volunteers Nan
Bauer-Maglin, Professor at the City University of New York, Editor for
GAA. Amina Benser, Editor for GAA.. Ann Dillon Stanton, UN
Volunteer. Cristina Dutilh, pursuing a MA
in Spanish Literature from Hunter College of the City University of New York,
NY, US, from Uruguay, Spanish Editor for GAA. Marcia Gleckler, Editor for GAA. Patricia
Green, UN Volunteer. Maria C. Rhor, pursuing a BA in Art History from Queens College City University of New York, Flushing, NY, US, from
Ecuador, Spanish Editor for GAA. Chiquita Smith, UN
Volunteer Carol Traynor, UN Volunteer.
Programs
Elder Rights
This Program advocates for the protection of older persons as a key element of the human rights movement. Increasingly subject to physical and emotional abuse, theft and negative stereotyping and discrimination, older persons often feel vulnerable and frightened. Older people often face serious discrimination in the workplace. While many rights issues affect them negatively, older persons are claiming new sets of entitlements, including choice of sexuality and sexual activity, appropriate housing, innovative care-giving programs, as well as more control over end of life decisions. GAA works with human rights and research organizations to focus attention on these elder concerns.
Health
Global Action on Aging examines older persons' access to health care, medicine and care, both in the US and worldwide. It also documents how the market system can distort and prevent quality care for most persons. GAA spotlights the actions of for-profit firms in the health field that restrict or compromise older persons' chance to live healthy lives.
Pension Watch
Since its beginnings, Global Action on Aging has examined how income support in old age, either public or private, shapes how older people can survive out of the workforce. GAA monitors efforts to reduce pension income and "reforms" that reduce services and income for older persons. It tracks policy changes and the debates about "dependence," "entitlements," "generational equity," and many other issues. GAA gets
immediate reports from affected pensioner groups and needy older persons in many countries.
Rural Aging
Most older persons in the world live in rural areas. Largely isolated from journalists and researchers, they take the full brunt of rapidly changing policies, of environmental disasters, disease, and often wars. GAA seeks to document the barriers that rural elderly face and point to ways to overcome this isolation.
Armed Conflict
& Emergencies Project
Launched in Spring 2003, this Project posts research on the legal, humanitarian and physical challenges facing older persons caught in armed conflict. GAA, along with partner organizations, advocates at the United Nations for the Security Council's adoption of comprehensive international policies that address the problems and potential contributions of older persons at all stages of an armed conflict.
Aging Watch at the UN
This website section tracks on an ongoing basis the reports, decisions, and other actions in the major United Nations organs charged to follow-up decisions made at the World Assembly on Ageing in 2002. At this historic assembly held in Madrid, the Member States of the UN adopted a Political Declaration and Plan of Action on Ageing. The agenda spells out the international commitments to integrate older persons' rights into national and international policies-both economic and social.
Foreign Language Programs
GAA's website contains articles and reports in the six official languages of the UN. Each language section covers US and World stories as well as country specific issues about aging. Thanks to the availability of these languages, GAA's website attracts visitors from Latin America, Asia and the former Soviet Union. Journalists from these areas routinely use GAA's information as the focus or background of stories on population aging.
Internship Program
Global Action on Aging's internship program offers national and international students and young professionals a unique working experience. Interns meet diplomats, UN staff, researchers, policy experts as well as older persons drawn from trade union, religious, and civic leaders. Learning about critical aging issues, they enhance their research and writing skills while building a large contact network.
In 2005 GAA has hosted five resident interns from France, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Germany and the USA. In addition, "virtual" interns from Ukraine and China contribute weekly to our website. Interns research and post over 40 articles per week in the six UN languages.
Newsletter
Every week Global Action on Aging publishes a free electronic newsletter that features articles on health, elder rights, pension, rural aging, older persons in armed conflict and aging topics at the UN gathered from around the world.
Events
In addition to its web-based work, GAA organizes educational seminars for its constituents. It also produces expert panels as "side events" for UN conferences. GAA staff and interns also join demonstrations and other public expressions showing our concern over older persons' rights.
Highlights
2007
| 2006
| 2005
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2004 | 2003 | 2002
| 2001 | 2000-
1992
HIGHLIGHTS 2008
UNITED NATIONS
Commission for Social Development
On February 6, 2008, GAA organized a UN Roundtable on “What we can Learn from the Disability Campaign for Human Rights,” examining how the Disability NGO groups succeeded in a Human Rights Convention. Speakers included representatives from the Government of Mexico; the International Disability Caucus represented by Maria Veronica Reina; the German-based disability organization, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation; and GAA.
On February 7, 2008, GAA, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Help Age International, organized a reception to celebrate the 2nd Review of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The guests included UN staff, diplomats from all 5 continents and NGOs focusing on aging.
During the Commission for Social Development 2008, GAA organized a breakfast gathering with aging advocates (HAI, IFA, INPEA, IAGG, AARP and GAA) to lay out the steps towards a human rights convention on aging.
Commission on the Status of Women
On March 6, 2008, the NGO Committee on Aging, Subcommittee on Older Women partnered with GAA to organize a panel discussion on older women and global pensions with Professor Robin Blackburn as a key note speaker.
Expert Group Meeting
On May 19, 20 and 21, 2008, GAA Program Coordinator, Magali Girod, attended the UN Expert Group Meeting on intergenerational issues to insure that the voices of older persons were heard in the discussions.
International Day of Older Persons
On October 2, 2008, GAA addressed the closing session of the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP). Susanne Paul and Bridget Sleap summarized the day and suggested a number of beginning steps toward a human rights convention (or treaty) on aging.
NGO COMMITTEE ON AGING
On November 6, 2008, GAA addressed the NGO Committee on Aging on possible ways to secure a human rights convention on aging. Susanne Paul intervened along with the Head of the UN Programme on Aging.
On December 4, 2008, Florence Denmark, Chair of the NY NGO Committee on Ageing named Susanne Paul, GAA President, as Co-Chair of the Sub-Committee to Promote a human rights convention on aging.
PROJECTS AND EVENTS
Throughout 2008, GAA organized six seminar sessions for trade union retirees from New York City. This year, GAA focused on “the human rights of older persons.” The seminar series concluded the retirees writing and adopting their own human rights Convention (or Treaty) on aging.
On April 22, 2008, GAA invited Professor Robin Blackburn, New School faculty, to talk about global pensions guaranteeing every old person $1 per day.
For the first time, GAA partnered with Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority with a fundraising brunch inviting KKG members from New York City to discover the UN and its work on Aging. Anke Green, UN staff from Germany, described her work and involvement at the UN.
On May 27, 2008 GAA invited Jean Hoffmann, a long-time poetry writer, to share her poems with our friends and donors. This cultural event united young and old life.
In July 2008, Ferdous Begum, continued her campaign to include older women as a category for review under the terms of the Human Rights Convention to Eliminate all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Begum was elected to the CEDAW Committee this year and began her campaign to canvas CEDAW signatories to report on discrimination against older women. She expects a vote affirming this action in 2010.
On September 16 and 17, Susanne Paul, GAA President attended the Follow up Meeting on the December 2007 Brasilia Declaration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Susanne described what NGOs can do to move towards a human rights Convention on Aging. At the end of the meeting, the group agreed to push forward on a Convention (or treaty).
On October 25, GAA Program Coordinator, Magali Girod presented the work of GAA to the United Methodist Women’s Annual Conference in Dix Hills, NY.
On November 13, 2008, GAA organized a Fall Party for its local donors and friends.
INTERNSHIPS
GAA hosted interns from China, France, Russia, Germany, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India and the US. During 2008 interns research and post over forty articles per week in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Also, GAA coordinated the efforts of older volunteers who did research, language assistance, technical help and evaluated our website.
WEBSITE
In 2008, GAA redesigned its Aging Watch Section to make it more user friendly. GAA’s website gathered nearly 15 million hits from over 158 countries.
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