Ageing and Development September 2002 Ageing and Development Dec 2000 3 Reports Look at Needs of an Ageing Society
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Ageing and News and analysis of issues affecting the lives of older people Development Issue 12 September 2002 Some of the older people who took part in events accompanying the Second World Assembly on Ageing. Plan promotes right to development Strategies for bringing ageing and calls for the right to to demonstrate… that ageing is onto development agendas are development for older persons not a burden. inside... being debated, following the I urges governments to include ‘It represents a major shift in adoption of a new International 2 News Putting the plan into older persons in national focus of social policy in many practice; Isolation in eastern Plan of Action on Ageing in development and social policy countries; it places ageing at the Europe; Older Bolivians April 2002. processes (such as poverty top of the policy agenda in the design health projects; Chronic The Plan was agreed by reduction strategies and national developing world as well as poverty in South Africa representatives of 159 United development plans) the developed world… 6 Briefing Vision for a society Nations member states at the I contains detailed sections on ‘Now ageing has to be addressed for all ages: what the Madrid Second World Assembly on growing areas of concern for older as a key issue of social policy.’ Plan says Ageing in Madrid. people and their families, including HIV/AIDS, violence and abuse, 8 Profile The people behind The Madrid Plan, which replaces Follow-up action the plan: United Nations access to health services and the 1982 Vienna Plan, is the Programme on Ageing social protection Implementing the Plan will involve first international agreement to action at all levels, from ensuring I calls for effective collaboration 9 Talking point Closing the commit governments to act on that ageing issues are included generation gap and partnership between the right to development of older in strategies arising from major government, civil society, 10 Resources Publications, persons. international conferences such international agencies and the websites and events as the September 2002 World private sector, and older persons End to age discrimination Summit for Sustainable 12 Research update Studies and their organisations, to achieve The Plan provides a framework Development, to the development in India, Thailand and Lesotho the Plan’s objectives. for governments to end age of national policies and discrimination and protect and ‘Powerful programme’ programmes on ageing, and promote the human rights of support from the grassroots In his final speech to the their ageing populations. It: through monitoring and lobbying. Assembly, UN deputy secretary I specifies that ageing can and general Nitin Desai described should be mainstreamed into the Plan as a ‘powerful and More information: global development agendas important programme of action… Pages 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 Newsroundup Developments that affect older people’s quality of life 2 Putting the plan into practice The successful outcome of the Second World Assembly on Ageing was the result of two years of intense negotiations, including a series of UN regional meetings and national-level lobbying and consultations with older people across the world. Events immediately before and laid out by the Declaration on the during the Assembly also influenced Right to Development, agreed by the outcome. A research forum in UN member states in 1986. Valencia, Spain brought together UN regional commissions have more than 500 researchers, responsibility for developing educators and practitioners, to regional implementation strategies. provide evidence to support The Economic Commission for decisions made in the Assembly, Europe (ECE) has led the way and propose priorities for research. with its conference in Berlin in More than 4,000 people took part September – with NGOs involved in the World NGO Forum on Ageing in the preparatory process and in Madrid, to discuss a wide range conference itself. Distributing State of the world’s older people 2002 at the Assembly. of issues affecting older people. David González/HelpAge International The Asia-Pacific commission A summary and declaration were (ESCAP) met in Shanghai in presented to the Assembly. getting their governments to act Second World Assembly on Ageing September, and Latin America on their commitments, and in Email: [email protected] http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing Older people themselves played and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will monitoring progress. a key part in the preparations and meet in Chile in June 2003. Valencia Forum events in Madrid (see page 9). HelpAge International is developing Email: [email protected] Ultimate responsibility for ‘citizen monitoring’ projects in five http://www.valenciaforum.com implementing the Plan rests with Implementation strategies countries – Bangladesh, Bolivia, NGO Forum national governments. Jamaica, Kenya and Tanzania. http://www.forumageing.org The challenge now is to ensure that The projects will support older governments meet the commitments UNECE conference Monitoring progress people to work with policy makers, they made in Madrid. This includes Berlin, 11-13 September 2002 National and international groups and networks engaged in http://www.mica2002.de incorporating older people’s issues mechanisms for monitoring how policy monitoring, and publish into national programmes – notably Millennium Development Goals governments implement the Plan government progress in meeting those designed to achieve the goal http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals have yet to be agreed. These will be commitments made in Madrid of reducing extreme poverty and Declaration on the Right to discussed at the UN Commission and other development summits, hunger by one half by 2015, agreed Development http://www.unhchr.ch/ for Social Development’s meeting especially the Millennium Summit. development/right.html at the Millennium Summit, which in New York in February 2003. the Plan specifically refers to. A preliminary report will be HelpAge International citizen monitoring project As those who stand to be most presented to the UN Commission It also means ensuring older Sylvia Beales, Policy Development affected, older people and their for Social Development’s meeting people’s right to development, as Manager, HelpAge International, organisations have a vital role in in February 2004. London. Email: [email protected] The bulk of the work now begins Partnership with NGOs and other various documents address crucial – lifting the Plan from paper and interested groups – including issues. In Africa, for example, Comment implementing it. This will require older people themselves – is several countries already have draft Bulk of the work begins sustained action at local, national critical to the implementation of national policies, and a regional and international levels. the Plan. Enhanced international policy framework on ageing has The Second World Assembly on cooperation to complement been adopted by the African Union. Ageing was a great success, There is need for governments to national initiatives is also essential, drawing together 159 governments. mainstream ageing issues and The formulation of a new international since ageing affects all of us the The resulting International Plan of the concerns of older persons plan should provide the impetus world over. Action on Ageing and the Political into national development needed to finalise these national Declaration will guide the world's frameworks, policies and poverty As countries develop their national policies and put them into action. response to the challenges of an reduction strategies. policies on ageing, the Plan will Tavengwa Nhongo Africa Regional ageing population. act as a guide in ensuring that the Representative, HelpAge International Ageing and Development September 2002 Ageing and Development Dec 2000 3 Reports look at needs of an ageing society Reports produced for the Pacific – and are summarised in generational equity. Maps, tables The report shows that the main Second World Assembly on State of the world’s older people and diagrams illustrate demographic concerns of older people relate to Ageing highlight the need for 2002 and the campaign document change and projections to 2050. conditions of extreme poverty, policies to be designed with Equal treatment, equal rights. such as inadequate healthcare, Key issues in population ageing an ageing society in mind. lack of national and social The world ageing situation, that affect older poor women and protection, and violence. Among Results of consultations with older produced by the United Nations men in South Africa and India are others, it records the voices of people, organised by HelpAge Department of Economic and examined in Situation and voices older widows living alone in International, have been published Social Affairs, looks at ageing in of the older poor and excluded in desperate need of better nutrition, in a number of country and different situations and transitions, South Africa and India, published social and medical care. regional reports – for example, covering development, rural by the United Nations Population Sudan, Jamaica, Fiji and Asia- ageing, older women and inter- Fund. In Active ageing: a policy framework, the World Health Organization recommends a set of actions in three essential areas: Isolation in eastern Europe health, participation and security. It stresses that action on healthy Many older people in East and Central Europe live on the edge of survival, according to a new report. ageing