DEV/2261
PI/1297

OBSERVING TENTH INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS, PARTICIPANTS TOLD THAT AGEING MUST TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN GLOBAL AGENDA

Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Delivers Message from Secretary-General

Since one in every five persons would be over the age of 60 by 2050, ageing must be brought to the centre of the global agenda, said Kensaku Hogen, the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, this morning. Mr. Hogen was delivering the message of the Secretary-General -� away on an overseas mission -- as the Tenth International Day of Older Persons was observed at Headquarters today.

One in every 10 persons was now over the age of 60, the Secretary- General�s message continued. The global task was to adapt to the rapid doubling of the aged, using the momentum of the International Year of Older Persons, held last year. Mr. Hogen added that the upcoming Second Global Conference on Ageing, to be held in Spain in 2002, made this year's International Day particularly important.

Today's celebration of the Day was centred on the theme "Towards a Society for All Ages". It was organized by the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Committee on Ageing, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and the Department of Public Information (DPI).

In a keynote address, Arthur Mbanefo of Nigeria said preparations for the 2002 Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid presented a good opportunity to incorporate an approach updated for today�s demographic and socio-economic realities. Public awareness must be raised to prepare for policy changes. The gender aspect of an ageing population, in which women were more vulnerable, must also be addressed. Also, resources must be managed to provide social safety- nets for the ageing in developing countries.

Inocencio Arias of Spain made another keynote address as representative of the host country for the Conference. He said five focus areas had been identified as practical measures for action. Those were old age and development, with particular attention to the situation in developing countries; measures to integrate ageing into development plans; partnership between public and private sector to create a society for all ages; and increased solidarity.

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Helen Hamlin, Chairwoman of the United Nations Non-Governmental Organization Committee on Ageing, called for a new international plan of action to accommodate ageing persons in a modern global context. The key should be the recognition of interconnectedness by all generations of the world. Failure to do so would lead to chaos. The expanded global village needed an international plan where tomorrow�s leaders would make ageing both secure and productive.

John Langmore, Director of the United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development, said preparations for the Second World Conference on Ageing presented an opportunity to exercise social and political imagination. It was an opportunity to broaden the agenda on issues related to ageing, recognize the inadequacy of government policies and think through what the aspirations should be.

�We must think at all levels with social and political imaginations,� he said. Economic imperatives should not rule the social agenda. �We live in a society and not an economy,� he added. That awareness should set social priorities. Social imperatives rather than economic ones should guide social policy.

Julia de Alvarez of the Dominican Republic said that concentrating on the issue of interconnectedness was one way to mobilize resources. In all issues related to ageing she called for interdependence between international agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society.

Following the addresses, a panel discussion was held on the various aspects of ageing.

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Statements

KENSAKU HOGEN, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, opened the meeting by saying that this year, the Day was particularly important since preparations were under way for the Second Global Conference on Ageing, to be held in Spain in 2002. He then delivered a message for the Secretary-General, who could not attend because of his travel schedule.

One in every 10 persons today was over the age of 60, Mr. Hogen said. By 2050, the figure would double to one in every five. The global task was to adapt to the change using the momentum generated by the International Year of Older Persons, held last year. Dismissive images of ageing had no role in today�s world, because the extended course of human life represented invaluable knowledge, experience and wisdom that all too often are allowed to remain dormant. Today�s younger generations would be a crucial part of the attitudinal transformation. They needed to be equipped with the flexibility and foresight that would help them make the most of their expected longevity.

Ageing must be brought to the centre of the global agenda, said Under- Secretary-General Hogen. Developing countries were ageing more quickly than the developed, who were already grappling with the impact. Those variations in the pace of ageing presented a good opportunity for societies to help each other.

JULIA T. ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic) said that, 18 years ago, the First World Assembly on Ageing in Vienna signaled the international community�s intent to take population ageing seriously. She hoped that the global community was still serious, but in many ways, the First World Assembly and Vienna seemed like something �from another time�. That was to say that the brochure sent out to publicize the First World Assembly in 1982, assured the press that �media facilities would be available�, but it was very unlikely that there were any provisions for laptops. She was certain no one was sending e-mail. Back then, a �mouse� was of interest only to cats. And the �World Wide Web� would have been left to spiders. Technologically, it was a new day. And on this International Day of Older Persons, it was fair to say that it was also a new day with regard to ageing.

During a slide show which traced the beginnings of the global movement on ageing through the First World Assembly, Ms. Alvarez continued her statement. The phenomenon of worldwide ageing was now a widely recognized fact, she said. There was now no doubt whether those who spoke out on that issue would be heard. Ageing was on the global calendar and was also a subject on many political agendas. The issue of ageing had now been deemed fit for occasional serious discussion on television �- the ultimate test of reality.

She went on to say that the international community could look back with pride at what was accomplished in Vienna. �We worked hard�, she said, �we were willing to go where no one had gone before�. The First World Assembly was ahead of its time. That was both its glory and one of its major problems. As explorers on a new frontier, the participants were bound to set off on a few wrong paths. And while it would be easy to point out errors in hindsight, it was important, in the spirit of this day of celebration, to be reminded of just how much foresight had been evinced by participants during those earlier days in Vienna. Turning to the goals of the upcoming Second World Assembly, she said that it was now time to replace talk with action. The First Assembly had initiated the necessary first step: a dialogue on ageing. What was now needed was to work towards solutions to potential problems. One way to create a framework and structure for action would be to concentrate on the issue of interconnectedness, which was central to the task of mobilizing resources. Interdependence between all international agencies and between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society groups needed to be both the spirit and the operating principle behind all the work concerning population ageing.

Ms. Alvarez said that her interest in ageing had deepened in the 18 years since the First World Assembly. There had been times when she wondered what life would be like after the age of 60. Now she knew: life could be fulfilling. It was true that she often wished she were young again. �I had more free time then�, she said. From personal experience, she went on to affirm that old age could be the best of times. But antiquated policies, neglect, stereotypes, oversights, social near-sightedness and unfair treatment must not be allowed to make it the worst of times.

Arthur Mbanefo (Nigeria) said the issue of ageing attracted attention because it was the terminal point of the life cycle itself. It must be dealt with holistically. In the midst of the modern demographic revolution, the ageing of a population impacted on all aspects of society.

A fundamental challenge was to continue empowering persons as they aged, he said. Public awareness must be raised to prepare the ground for necessary policy changes. The needs of older persons must be incorporated into national development and poverty eradication policies. The family as a whole must be empowered to create a society of all ages, reflecting all phases from childhood through youth and adulthood into late life. Since early life experiences took hold in later life, society must invest in youth, the phase of life where longevity began.

The gender aspect of an ageing population in which women were more vulnerable must also be addressed, he continued. Discrepancies in the areas of status, opportunities and entitlements of older men and women must be examined. Likewise, the rapid increase in the number of ageing persons in developing countries must be considered. Resources must be managed to provide social safety nets protecting the ageing and their families.

He said preparations for the 2002 Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid presented a good opportunity to incorporate a fresh and updated approach to cope with today�s demographic and socio-economic realities.

INOCENCIO F. ARIAS (Spain) said that the naming of 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons had been catalytic in that it had attracted attention to the elderly and the situation of ageing. The debate, discussions and research generated during the Year had proved vital and invaluable. As an attempt to address the need for �a society for all ages�, the Year had also highlighted the benefits of tackling questions of the elderly from a wider perspective, included such issues as development and old age as a continuous process affecting all stages of life. That wider approach had led to other important realizations, he said, most notably that issues of ageing had consequences which went beyond just elderly segments of the population. And the question of ageing had gradually been incorporated in review meetings of major conferences of the United Nations on development. That could only mean that ageing had finally begun to receive the full attention of the international community as a high priority on the global agenda.

That was particularly important as the international community now turned to address the serious issue of the coming demographic changes in the developing world. It had been said that developed countries would be rich before they grew old, and that developing countries were going to be old before they grew rich. That old adage was now becoming true. However, in Africa, there was also an adage that when an older person died, it was as if a bookstore had gone up in flames. Increased international attention to the phenomenon of ageing in developing countries had led to some positive changes in the traditional approach to dealing with rapidly ageing populations. On such change had been the realization that the elderly should not be seen as merely dependents, but as active and productive agents of society.

Turning to the Second Assembly, he said that five focus areas had been identified as practical measures that should be adopted by a society wishing to address ageing in all its cultural, social and economic realities. Those were old age and development, with a particular attention to the situation in developing countries; measures to integrate ageing into development plans; partnership between public private sector to create a society for all ages; and increased solidarity between generations

He said that by offering to host the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Spain had assumed an important responsibility. That responsibility went beyond just providing facilities and programmes, and included stimulating and encouraging development of an adequate preparatory process for that event. In that regard, Spain had organized meetings with bodies concerned with follow-up to the Year, as well as the Commission on Sustainable Development. He stressed the important role of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, for the elderly had played a part in that process.

There had also been an intergovernmental debate on the follow-up to the Year, he said, which focused on the situation of the elderly in developing countries and countries whose economies were in transition. To that end he supported the need for giving greater attention to the situation of the elderly in developing countries since, as reports had shown, 70 per cent of the elderly would live there in the future. It was important that their experiences be used to benefit the international community as a whole. He invited everyone to participate actively in the upcoming Second World Conference.

Helen Hamlin, Chairwoman of the United Nations Non-Governmental Committee on Ageing, said it was good to see the swell of the longevity revolution continue. The International Day was a milestone of the Ageing Committee programme, which was based on four pillars: the situation of older persons; lifelong development; a multigenerational society; and ageing in a development context.

She called for a new international plan of action to accommodate ageing persons in a modern global context. The key should be the recognition of connectedness by all generations of the world. Failure to do so as the world changed would lead to chaos. The expanded global village needed an international plan where tomorrow�s leaders would make ageing both secure and productive.

Panel Discussion

Mary Racelis, Professor, Ateneo de Manila University, spoke on the situation of the poor and elderly in developing countries at family and community levels. She said income was far from the only measure of poverty. Now poverty could also be considered as social deprivation, or a sense of being excluded or marginalized. That was particularly true of the elderly poor, as they were excluded from many aspects of society almost by definition -- social security was almost non- existent, and many social institutions were not set up to address their concerns. In family situations, those feelings of exclusion could be exacerbated by lack of access to healthcare, physical constraints in the home or other reasons. As the international community focused its attention on social development in the new millennium, it should also address the issue of poverty reduction among the elderly.

Nate Gates and Matthew Gazda, ninth-grade students from New Jersey, addressed the question of intergenerational ties. They told of positive personal experiences involving multiple generations, then asked that young persons be represented at the 2002 Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid.

Jessica Frank, graduate student of Hofstra University, addressed the issue of rapidly increasing populations of both youths and the elderly. She said the issue of the population explosion of the ageing was being overlooked as the international community focused on other issues such as social development and human rights. Ageing was no more or less important than those issues. It was a crosscutting question directly affecting major concerns of the international community at the dawn of the new millennium. Demographics highlighting the coming youth population explosion should not be ignored either. For the first time in human history, two population agequakes were on a collision course. The effect was not known, but both youth and the elderly would make vital contributions to society. The international community must look beyond categorizations and work for intergenerational relationships, the benefits of which could be useful in tackling global problems. Expressing concern that the programmes of today were failing the elderly, she said youth should be involved in policy-making.

Concluding Remarks

John Langmore, Director of the United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development, summarized pertinent points from the statements and the panel presentations. He then said preparations for the Second World Conference on Ageing presented an opportunity to exercise social and political imagination. It was an opportunity to broaden the agenda on issues related to ageing, recognize the inadequacy of government policies, and think through what the aspirations should be.

�We must think at all levels with social and political imaginations,� he said. Economic imperatives should not rule the social agenda. �We live in a society and not an economy,� he added. That awareness should set social priorities. Social imperatives rather than economic ones should guide social policy. The objective was to think of ways to influence that policy, then communicate the ideas at the World Conference.

Outlining the preparatory events, he said the need to make compromises could result in the world conference being bland. However, with determination, the conference would be dynamic with relevance to a changing world.

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United Nations