Growing Ageing Population - 60+ Years
Registration for 2023 UNIDOP celebration is open. Please register for in-person or on-line attendance by September 22.
NEWSFLASH!!
1. JOIN DISCUSSIONS ON WHY WE NEED AN INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENT TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS
The Co-Facilitators (Brazil and Portugal) appointed by the Chair of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) will be convening three briefings to discuss the existing international framework of the human rights of older persons and to identify possible gaps in the protection of the human rights of older persons and how best to address them. The three briefings currently being organized are:
12 July 2023, 9:00-10:00 a.m. EDT: Briefing by the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons (Ms. Claudia Mahler), and by the Human Rights Treaty Bodies.
Link: https://unvc.webex.com/unvc/j.php?MTID=m9fe579658a29136919be4ba6a8747159
8 September 2023 (TBC), 9:00-10:00 a.m. EDT: Briefing by the United Nations system. (Link will be provided later)
20 November, 2023 (TBC), 0:00-10:00 a.m. EDT: Briefing by National Human Rights Institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations. (Link will be provided later).
The Co-Facilitators have also sent out a QUESTIONNAIRE to Member States and all relevant stakeholders (SEE HERE). NGO-COA MEMBERS AND OTHER NGOS INVOLVED IN AGEING ISSUES ARE URGED TO RESPOND. In this connection, GAROP (Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People) will be organizing meetings in the coming weeks to assist NGOs in the process. WATCH THIS SPACE for more information as it becomes available.
Following the briefings and receipt of responses to the questionnaire (which will be put on the OEWGA website ( https://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/thirteenthsession.shtml ), the Co-Facilitators will submit proposed intergovernmental negotiated recommendations on how best to address gaps in the protection of the human rights of older persons, to be considered by the 14th session of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing in April 2024, and to be presented for consideration by the General Assembly.
A brief history of the work of the OEWGA can be found here.
2. The 2023 HIGH LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM (https://hlpf.un.org/2023) will take place, in person, 10-19 July 2023 in New York, with the theme "Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels." The HLPF in 2023 will also review in-depth:
a. SDG6 – clean water and sanitation
b. SDG7 – affordable and clean energy
c. SDG9 – industry, innovation and infrastructure
d. SDG11 – sustainable cities and communities
e. SDG17 – partnerships for the Goals
The position paper submitted by the Stakeholder Group on Ageing, of which the NGO Committee on Ageing is a member, can be found here. More information can also be found on the Stakeholder Group on Ageing’s website:
https://www.stakeholdergrouponageing.org/
The Stakeholder Group on Ageing, of which the NGO COA-NY is a member, has organized a side event during the High Level Political Forum, to take place on 13 July 2023, 13:00-14:30 NY time, on “Age-Friendly Cities and SDG 11- a template for everyone.” Register here:
LINK TO other side events during the HLPF: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19m0BqzFJ721YcYAiCEvMqysdC6K5mti5naTag3CQcUI/edit#gid=0
Please go to HLPF website for regular updates on all events and for the daily HLPF programme: https://hlpf.un.org/2023
3. THE NGO COA ELECTIONS, for positions on the Executive Committee, were held on 8 June 2023 and the results are:
Chair: Mr. William Smith, President/CEO, Aging in America and UN Representative, IAHSA.
Vice-Chair: Ms. Robin Fenley, International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA).
Treasurer: Ms. Katie Weiss, UN representative of the Global Ageing Network.
Corresponding Secretary: Ms. Martha Bial, Faculty Research Scholar, Ravazzin Center on Aging at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service in New York
Recording Secretary: Ms. Ariana Elezaj, Deputy Director of Older Adult Services at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House.
Members-at-Large: Ms.Ramsey Alwin, President and CEO of the National Council on Ageing; Ms. Bethany Brown, representative of the Inter-national Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse; Mr. Christopher Hanway, Executive Director of Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement; Mr. Peter Kaldes, American Society on Aging; Ms. Magda Kaczmarska, Generations United.
The members of the Executive Committee will assume their office on 1 September 2023.
4. NEWSLETTERS – a full listing of current and past newsletters may be found here.
5. TWITTER ACCOUNT – Learn how to use your Twitter Account here !!
6. DONT FORGET: When given the opportunity to speak or to put comments in the chat or Q&A functions of Zoom meetings, please call attention to the concerns of older persons and the need to include them! We should not leave a meeting without mentioning older persons and the need to include them and their concerns in all discussions!
7. NOTIFICATIONS OF EVENTS organized throughout the year by the NGO Committee on Ageing will be sent out by email. Watch this space for updates on upcoming events.
8. FULL LIST OF RECENT EVENTS of interest to our members may be found here.
RECOMMENDED EVENTS
FALL KICK-OFF MEETING
NGO COMMITTEE ON AGEING/NY
Friday, 15 September 2023: 1:00 – 2:30 PM. EDTVIRTUAL VIA ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8812682098
FIND OUT ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENTS OVER THE SUMMER
IN ADVANCING OUR HUMAN RIGHTS AGENDA AT THE UN
AND MEET THE NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM
Join a Subcommittee: Human Rights, Older Women, Global Alliances, Program, Membership, Communications, Development
2023 UNIDOP Celebration
Monday, 2 October 2023: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. EDT
UN Headquarters, New York
Registration is open.
1. Ernesto Gonzales, (New York University) – Will address the issue of productive aging, while answering the question of ‘’ who benefits from intergenerational programs; as well as age discrimination (in both directions), with the emphasis on maximizing social cohesion across generations
2. Emi Kiyota (National University of Singapore)- Will focus on mobilizing youth and elders in place-making; intergenerational housing from an architectural perspective; and mobilizing youth to advocate for Human Rights for Older Persons and the rights across generations.
3. Liliane Nkunzimana (Baha’i International Community) – will highlight the youth-focused approach to human rights, moving past a culture of guilt and mistrust; focusing on the role of young people in society and their collaboration with older persons.
4. Stephanie Firestone (AARP International) – multi-generational living and engagement in the public realm; intergenerational play space.
Report of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing at its 13th session (https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N23/118/81/pdf/N2311881.pdf?OpenElement)
Documents submitted to the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing at its 13th session, 3-6 April 2023: https://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/thirteenthsession.shtml
Report of the OHCHR – Summary of the multi-stakeholder meeting on the human rights of older persons (https://undocs.org/A/HRC/52/49)
Report of the Secretary-General on Fourth review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2022, (https://undocs.org/E/CN.5/2023/6)
Reports of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons on:
- Older persons and the right to adequate housing (https://undocs.org/A/77/239)
- Older persons deprived of liberty (https://undocs.org/A/HRC/51/27)
- Visit to Finland (https://undocs.org/A/HRC/51/27/Add.1)
Report of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, 12th session: (https://undocs.org/A/AC.278/2022/2)
Joint letter from the three NGO Committees (New York, Geneva, Vienna) to UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and to UN Women, expressing concerns about lack of references to older women, here: Letter on gender snapshot
Reports on ageing issues prepared by various entities of the UN system can be found in the list of entities under “Resources/Key International Documents on Ageing”.
Videos, reports and articles related to COVID-19 can be accessed here.
Useful websites (which also provide links to other useful information):
https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/pages/home.aspx
https://rightsofolderpeople.org/covid-19-resources-relating-to-older-people/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
