Agenda

HUMAN RIGHTS - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND AGEING

Dr. E. Mestheneos,

Regional Vice President, Europe

International Federation on Ageing

o An international non-governmental organization -- established in 1973

o Membership: NGOs, the corporate sector, academia, government, and individuals --international

o Concerned with generating positive change for older people worldwide by : stimulating, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on rights, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life of people as they age. for older people globally.

WHO IS THE IFA

ISSUES FOR OLDER PEOPLE

• Age Discrimination• Poverty• Care needs• Social exclusion• Access to goods and

services• Ageism

• Opportunities for employment• Adequate incomes - (Help age

International - 4/5 older people in the world still have no pensions - but check poverty rates- Millenium Development Goals

• Decent long term care• Opportunities for education and

life long learning• Social inclusion - age friendly

communities, media, intergenerational programmes.

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o Since 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights - for everyone- but realization that the Declaration inadequate and ineffective for certain groups.

o UN Principles for older people 1991 - Rights of older people for

IndependenceParticipationCareSelf fulfillmentDignity

o IFA Secretariat 1990 produced a Declaration as one of the bases for the UN documents

o Development of other Conventions e.g. to cover women and disabled- CEDAW, disabled, children.

INTERNATIONAL ACTION

o Development of discussions and “soft” law – Vienna (1982), UN Year (1990); Madrid International Plan of Ageing (2002) where national governments agreed to monitoring and protecting the rights of older people.

o 2010 Creation of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on the Rights of Older people - includes representatives of UN Member States and NGOs.

o Open-ended Working Group on Ageing - NGO delegation formed an alliance “The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People” - AARP, Global Action on Ageing. HelpAge International, International Association of Gerontology, IFA, Int. Network prevention of Elder Abuse, (INPEA), AGE UK, IAHASA, ILC Global Alliance - and in the most recent meeting they were joined by AGE Platform Europe. (August 2012). They have a clear statement supporting a new Convention.

o http://www.rightsalliance.org/index.php/en/about-us

Actions

Secretariat- International Federation on Ageing 351 Christie Street, 1st Floor. Toronto, ON M6G 3C3 Canada

www.ifa-fiv.orgifa@ifa-fiv.org