Open-endedWorking Group on Ageing(OEWGA) on strengthening the
Protection of the humanrights of olderpersons.
5 to 7 july 2017, UN Headquarters, New York
69 representativesfrom 33 NHOsattended the session.
The 8th session beganwith the election of officers and itis to behighlightedthat the Bureau iscurrentlycomprisedin 80% by womenrepresentatives, whichrepresents a verysignificant and positive sign in the efforts by member States and regional groups in achievinggenderparitywithin the United Nations.
The Bureau proposed an organization of workbased on a generaldebate on the topic:» Measures to enhance the contribution of olderpersons to social development»; two interactive discussions on the focus areas of «Equality and non-discrimination» and «Violence, neglect and abuse». An interactive debate on conclusions on the two focus areas; and a discussion on the wayforward.
General debate
As a growing segment of the population, olderpersonsconstitute a social group whichisexpected to have the highest rate of growth in the nextdecades. The number of olderpersonsisexpected to growfrom 901 million in 2015 to 1.4 billion by 2030, outnumberingyouthglobally, and the highest rate of growthisgoing to beregistered in developing countries. Populationageingwasidentified as a mega trend, which poses a series of new challenges to both social and sustainabledevelopment of all societies. It is important to considerolderpersons as an active group, which can makesignificant contributions to social development, as long as certain guarantees are in place to allow for their full participation in society.
Interactive discussions on the focus area
-Equality and non-discrimination:
The Universal Declaration on Human Rightsproclaimsthat all humanbeings are born free and equal, but itisevidentthat the enjoyment of all humanrightsdiminishedwithage, due to the negative notion thatolderpersons are somehowless productive, lessvaluable to society, and a burden to the economy and to youngergenerations. Also, thereisthis notion thattheyconstitute a vulnerable group, a passive target of special «protection» and paternalisticmeasures.
In thatsense, ensuringthatolderpersons can equallyenjoytheirhumanrights and are not subject to anyform of discrimination on the basis of theirageis a fundamental factor to fostertheir active participation in society.
Finally, referenceswere made to the factthat a comprehensive and systematisapproach to the protection of the humanrights of olderpersons, backed by international legal standards and mechanisms, wouldpromote to enhancing the visibility of olderpersons and the promotion of theirrights, ensuringtheir active participation and meaningful contributions to society.
-Violence, neglect and abuse
According to estimates of the World HealthOrganization, 1 in 6 personsaged over 60 yearsissufferingfrom abuse. That meansnearly 141 million people globally, and thisnumbermightbemuchhigher due to the factthat violence, neglect and abuse againstolderpersonsis one of the mosthidden and underreported violation. The same WHO estimatesindicatethatnearly 80% of the cases are not reported due to shame and lack of awareness or information. Furthermore, with projections indicatingthat the number of olderpersonswillalmost double by 2050, the prevalence of thisscourgecouldrepresent more than 320 million people worldwide.
It isclearthat violence, neglect and abuse againstolderpersons can takemanyforms (physical, etc…)
So the development of normative statndardsshouldprovide a comprehensivedefinition of violence, neglect and abuse, including all the formstheymighttake, the different settings whereitcouldhappen, and all the perpetratorsthat can commit such violations, as well as the specialmeasures to countereach type of violation or abuse (whetheritiscriminalized or not). Such standards shouldalsostipulateState’s obligation to respect, protect and promote the rights of olderpersons to live free from violence, neglect and abuse , by developing and enforcing effective legislation, policies and measures to preventsuch violations, providing support and remedies to the victims, and regularly monitoring and reporting on the problem by collecting and analyzingdisaggregated data on the prevalence of the phenomenon.
Discussion on the wayforward
Regarding the selection of focus areas for the 9th session, the group selected«Autonomy and independence» and «Long term and palliative care».
The mandate of the OEWGA isrelated to humanrights and itis important to keep the scope and focus of the work of the OEWGA under the humanrightsapproach, in order to enable the Group to fullfillits mandate.