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Our Rights Under Threat As We Grow Old

"Our Rights Under Threat As We Grow Old: A Timely Expert Debate on the Intersection of Disability and Age" is a Side Event of the 13th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD organized by International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA), Human Rights Watch, in partnership with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Special Procedures, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Programme on Ageing.

Issues discussed in the session:

  • Key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities as exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Overlaps and distinctions in the protection of the rights of older persons and the rights of persons with disabilities
  • Can the CRPD respond to the needs and rights of all older persons?
  • Main lessons from the CRPD process for the UN Open-ended Group on Ageing on the protection of the human rights of older persons

Speakers:

  • Mr. Gerard Quinn, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • Ms. Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons
  • Ms. Kate Swaffer, Chair, CEO & Co-founder, Dementia Alliance International (DAI)

Moderator: Bethany Brown, Human Rights Advisor, International Disability Alliance (IDA)

Quotes:

  • "Please think about the mobilization of older persons' movement because these are the human rights for all of us. We are investing in our future, we are all getting older. Please also argue both strengthening human rights of older persons and getting linked to the persons with disabilities movements on the national level." (Claudia Mahler)
  • "The time is right - for seriously paying attention to the rights of older people. Through deep reading the UN SDGs, you will see a very different philosophy of economy and society emerging. I argue that residential options were historical accidents due to a particular model of economy and society that were passed and we are not going to rebuild that into the future. The hidden elements in the equation are the notions of the family, family supports, the future of caring, and the feminization of poverty, particularly for carers. How we are going to treat that and how family support is considered part of the ecosystems underpin the rights not just of older persons but also of persons with disabilities." (Gerard Guinn)
  • "Let us make today the beginning fo a change and for rights for all, including older persons around the world." (Kate Swaffer)

Rationale:

The UN Independent Expert (IE) on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, Ms. Claudia Mahler, dedicated her first thematic report to the impact of COVID-19 on older persons. Her findings and recommendations to States are particularly relevant to older persons with disabilities, including those living in residential care settings.

The newly appointed Special Rapporteur (SR) on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Gerard Quinn has published recently on the lessons to be learned from the drafting of the UN disability treaty for a possible UN treaty on the rights of older persons as well as on autonomy and legal capacity for older persons. His current research interests include theories of personhood and new technology intersectionality between age and disability and extreme poverty and disability.

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For more information, please visit: http://www.inpea.net/