Multi-stakeholder meeting on the human rights of older persons

Excellencies,
Distinguished President of the Human Rights Council,
Distinguished delegates,
Friends and colleagues,

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to join in this important conversation on the human rights of older persons.

Looking back over the past two and a half years, one of the most powerful and lasting lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic will be its impact on older persons.

Older persons were physically and socially isolated; experienced limited access to information, they were victims of ageist attitudes detrimental to their rights, including to health or social protection; there were concerns about how support and care, especially in residential facilities in certain parts of the world, did not contribute to older persons’ autonomy and dignity; and they were often left disempowered and unheard.

The pandemic laid bare some of the most critical gaps in the way our societies are built, triggering the urgent need to address those gaps.

As the world confronts some of the biggest international crises in generations, most notably the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss; and raging conflict and humanitarian disasters, older persons continue to suffer some of their harshest consequences.

For instance, air pollution is a potential cause of dementia and has disproportionate health effects for older persons, resulting in higher primary care and emergency room use, more frequent hospital admissions, restricted activity, and an increase in prescription medication use.

In India and Pakistan, mounting extreme heat and humidity levels have impeded the rights of many older persons, and led to the deaths of many others, particularly those with underlying conditions.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is another worrying example. As I have brought to the attention of the Human Rights Council, the severe impact of the war on older persons continues, as they are often unable to reach safety, or to access water, food or health services, and suffering isolation and dire mental health consequences.

And while age does not in itself make individuals more vulnerable, it may be accompanied by a number of physical, political, economic and social factors that may do so.

Across all spheres of everyday life - – from access to housing, employment and health care, or the digital world – older persons continue to be subject to ageism and age discrimination, or discrimination on the basis of other grounds as well, such as gender, disability, migrant or economic status.

My Office has conducted several studies on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons. In March, at the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, I presented my report on the normative standards and obligations on the human rights of older persons, requested by Council resolution 48/3 on ageism and age-discrimination.

International legal frameworks – which should protect everybody, without discrimination – are fragmented and inconsistent, often rendering older persons invisible. While the establishment of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the human rights of older persons was a vital measure to highlight gaps and to move the debate forward, more can and must be done.

Legal and policy measures that fully integrate the human rights of older persons are needed more than ever.

Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure older persons’ active and meaningful participation in the design and implementation of those measures – this is one of the best ways to tackle ageist attitudes, and to help promote their rights, as active, autonomous and independent agents and beneficiaries of change. It is also an effective way of reflecting the incredible diversity of this group, and the important roles and contributions they make to our families, communities, economies, and political systems.

Promoting greater digital inclusion of older persons is also an important means to protect their rights. Currently, the digital divide for older persons means low digital literacy, lack of connectivity or limited access to digital devices, information and services such as banking, government services or other online services.

Excellencies,

In building forward together, we have, as the United Nations Secretary-General has emphasized, a unique and historic opportunity to forge a world built upon a foundation of inalienable and indivisible rights, where every person’s dignity is respected throughout the life cycle.

A dedicated, comprehensive, and integrated international legal framework on the rights of older persons, provided it responds to the specific human rights challenges and protection gaps that older persons face, would allow older persons to enjoy and exercise their rights and contribute to sustainable development in all its dimensions.

Solidarity calls on all of us to commit to doing the right thing.

Solidarity would have us learn the lessons of the past and commit to not repeating them.

Transformative change will take the full determination and support of us all to collectively move forward.

Today, you have that opportunity – to take those steps in the right direction. To undertake the much-needed global commitment and make recommendations for a system that will truly strengthen the rights of older persons. 

I wish you all success in your deliberations.

Thank you.