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Asia and the Pacific is the fastest ageing region in the world. It is expected that by 2050, one fourth of the total population in Asia and the Pacific will be 60 years old or older. Due to increased life expectancy and continuing fertility decline, all sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific are ageing. In East and North-East Asia, the fastest ageing sub-region, one third of the population will be above 60 and in South Asia, persons above 60 will make up almost one fifth of the population. But in spite of older person’s increasing importance in the demographics of the region, rights of older persons are often inadequately considered in policies and programmes. For example in East Asia, only 18.5 per cent of the working-age population is covered by
pension systems, and in South Asia the population is only 7.5 per cent. Therefore, a large number of older persons has to continue working or is dependent on family support.
DSPD Focal Point on Ageing, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF), with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), HelpAge International and the International Federation of Ageing, are jointly organizing a Workshop on the Social Integration and Rights of Older Persons in the Asia-Pacific region, to foster a regional dialogue towards building consensus around promoting social integration and rights of older persons.
