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Overview
Global Action on Aging
advocates at the United Nations (UN) in New York to build a better
society for older people across the globe. Older persons’ numbers are
increasing rapidly. One out of every ten persons is now 60 years or above;
by 2050, one out of five will be 60 years or older. UN Member States
correctly see this growth among the elderly as a tremendous economic and
social challenge for their countries and the world. At the same time,
governments agree with Global Action on Aging that the world’s elderly
offer great talent and energy to their nations and our world.
In April 2002, delegates of 160 governments, intergovernmental institutions
and NGOs came together at the United Nations Second
World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid, Spain, in order to revise the 1982
Vienna Plan on Ageing which had established a global long-term
strategy for the aging population.
The 2002 Assembly’s outcome document, the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) , commits governments
to integrate the rights and needs of older persons into national, as well as
international, economic and social development policies.
However, this MIPAA document is non-binding and UN Member States may choose
to implement the Plan or not. Many millions of vulnerable old people, in
both the developed and developing world, still experience abuse, poverty and
social exclusion today. The rights of older people need to be better defined
and protected. Global Action on Aging believes that an Aging Human Rights
Convention (or Treaty), if adopted, promises a better world for older
persons. Read more here.
This Aging Watch section monitors reports and decisions of the UN system,
with regard to the follow-up of MIPAA and the process toward the adoption of
a UN Convention protecting the rights of older persons.
To read some background documents on aging at the United Nations,
click here.
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Newest Updates
Report: World: Position Paper for the UN Commission for Sustainable Development submitted by the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY (April 26, 2010)
Persons of all ages, including older people, require transport and mobility. Such access is essential for sustainable development. The Ageing NGOs are asking the UN Commission for Sustainable Development to include older persons in the necessary planning for an energy efficient, multi-transportation mode outcome in a multi-generational society.
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A Resource for Promoting Dialogue on Creating a New UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons
Nine international ageing organizations joined to prepare this report highlighting the need for a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. They believe that a Convention (or treaty among nations) will ensure that older women and men can realize their rights. With a new UN convention, and the assistance of a Special Rapporteur, governments can have an explicit legal framework, guidance and support to assure that older people's rights are realized in our increasingly aging societies. To read key messages, click
here. ________________________
Report: Latin America and the Caribbean: The Challenges of International Protection of Human Rights of Older Persons (March 22, 2010)
(Report in Spanish)
This CELADE report reviews the situation regarding human rights international law and older
persons on and international and regional levels. Currently there are various theoretical and policy considerations on the human rights of specific groups, with special attention to the rights of older people. This report presents arguments justifying the adoption of an international convention and the appointment of a special
rapporteur.
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World: Joint NGO Statement to the 48th UN Commission for Social Development (December 2009)
To give a voice to civil society at the 48th UN Commission for Social Development, which will take place next February, Global Action on Aging, along with other NGOs, agreed on a joint statement. On Human Rights Day, December 10, 2009, this statement called for strengthening the rights of older persons worldwide. The NGOs underline the fact that older people cannot access their human rights. They recommend the adoption of a global human rights instrument to assure such rights.
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