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In many parts of the world, older persons often face discrimination, poverty, violence and abuse, as well as lack of specific measures and services on the basis of age. To address the issue of protecting the human rights of older persons, the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) kicked off its fifth working session in New York from 30 July to 1 August.
The mandate of the working group, given by the General Assembly, is to consider the existing international framework of the human rights of older persons and identify possible gaps and how best to address them, including by considering the feasibility of further instruments and measures.
The fifth session of the OEWG featured three panel discussions focusing on the human rights and care of older persons; on violence and abuse against older persons (with a focus on older women and financial abuse); planning for end of life care (with a focus on legal and financial issues); as well discussions on how to strengthen the rights of older persons through enhanced implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA).
More than 80 Member States and 40 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attended the fifth session of the OEWG. While all speakers referred to the urgent need to foster the promotion and protection of the rights of older persons, Member States expressed diverging views on how to best go about it.
Most NGOs called for the establishment of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People, because they noted that non-binding agreements, such as MIPAA and the UN Principles for Older Persons, provide excellent guidance and inspiration, but in reality these agreement are largely ignored by Governments.
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