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Why Do We Need a Human
Rights
Convention for Older Persons?
Documents
A Human Rights Convention on Ageing
would:
-
add additional weight in furthering,
deepening and more precisely defining the rights of older
persons;
-
create obligatory and binding
international law overcoming the normative gap that exists today;
-
define clearly Member States obligations
in regards to older persons and compel them to take positive action to
facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights;
-
clarify and consolidate existing laws and
norms;
-
create new rights and principles in a new
framework that would empower older persons;
-
increase older persons’ visibility and
draw public attention (awareness raising) to issues such as dignity,
livelihood rights, pensions and other forms of social protection,
health, housing, care and support, participation rights, protection
from abuse and exploitation, gender, and the rights of older persons in
times of emergencies;
-
draw attention to the impact of multiple
discriminations that older persons face, including the disparate impact
of ageing on women;
-
allow on going dialogue among member
states, civil society, NGOs, the private sector and older persons
during implementation;
-
allow the collection of data specific to
older persons;
-
combat ageism.
Overall, a Convention would change how older
persons are viewed as a social group and would create a legally-binding
framework for Member States to better protect older persons.
Establishing a Convention on the rights of older persons would be a
strong anti-ageism, anti-discriminatory and mainstreaming tool.
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and
Social Affairs Division for Social Policy and Development, Programme on
Ageing, Report of
the Expert Group Meeting “Rights of Older Persons,” 5-7 May
2009.
Documents
A Resource for Promoting Dialogue on Creating a New UN Convention on
the Rights of Older Persons (February 4, 2010)
Nine international ageing organizations joined to prepare this report
highlighting the need for a UN Convention on the Rights of Older
Persons. They believe that a Convention (or treaty among nations) will
ensure that older women and men can realize their rights. With a new UN
convention, and the assistance of a Special Rapporteur, governments can
have an explicit legal framework, guidance and support to assure that
older people's rights are realized in our increasingly aging
societies. To read key messages, click here.
Why it’s Time For a Convention on the Rights of Older People (September
2009)
This study introduces some of the provisions in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and demonstrates how older people’s
rights are being violated. HelpAge International calls for an
international convention and a special rapporteur at the United Nations
on the rights of older people to provide legal protection to older
people. It concludes with recommendations on what would need to be done
to reduce age discrimination and ageism across the world.
Latin America:
Human Rights and Health of Older Persons (2009)
Experts at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have cited the
dangerous state of discrimination against older persons in Latin
America and the Caribbean. PAHO, the UN and Organization of American
States’ specialized agency for health in the Americas, promotes and
protects the right to the highest attainable standard of health. PAHO
lays out the plight of older persons, the methods of international and
regional protection, and finishes with a list detailing how the
concerned public can help to alleviate these problems.
What
Difference Would a New Convention Make to the Lives of Older People?
(December 2008)
The authors draw on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) to conclude that it is impossible to determine
whether a new convention on older people’s rights would assure
protection of their human rights. The report describes three
alternative consequences of a new convention: negative, neutral, and
positive. Despite varying evidence, the authors found that a proper
policy will usually have a positive net gain, provided that it is
evidence-based and sensitive to all sectors of society.
The
Rights of Older People: International Law, Human Rights Mechanism and
the Case for New Normative Standards (December 2008)
A study, commissioned for the International Symposium to be convened by
Age Concern, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and HelpAge
International (HAI) explores the effectiveness of various human rights
conventions in protecting the rights of older people. Most
international human rights treaties and conventions do not mention
“age” as grounds for discrimination. Moreover, there is an
implementation gap, in cases of countries failing to incorporate
international standards of elder rights into domestic legislation. The
study suggests ways to strengthen existing conventions and the
possibility of setting new international legal standards.
A
Call for a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons (October 7, 2008)
On the occasion of the annual International Day of Older Persons and
the 60th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the Department of Public Information and the New York NGO Committee on
Ageing assembled. The overall goal of the conference was to tackle the
process that will lead to the development and acceptance of a
Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. Besides several speakers
from around the world the two keynote speaker Minister Paulo de Tarso
Vannuchi and Mr. Sergei Zelenev expressed themselves about the current
situation of older persons.
Brazil
Special Secretary of Human Rights Minister Paulo Vannuchi (October 2,
2008)
Speaking at the United Nations Headquarters on the occasion of
celebrating the International Day of Older Persons, Special Secretary
of Human Rights Minister Paulo Vannuchi expressed his positive view
about a convention on human rights of older persons. Besides presenting
Brazil’s approach to this specific issue, he reaffirmed his commitment
to continue calling on his government colleagues and friendly nations
to address the issue.
Convention
on the Rights of Older Persons: How Feasible Is the Option? (October 2,
2008)
On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons one of the
keynote speakers Sergei Zelenev, Chief, Social Integration Branch,
DESA, stated his view on a range of issues affecting older persons,
discussing particularly the issue of the rights of older persons. His
speech particularly focused on the need for a convention while
emphasizing as well the Madrid Plan and the need to work towards the
implementation of the existing commitments.
Towards
a “Society for All Ages”: Meeting the Challenge or Missing the Boat
(2008)
Sergei Zelenev, Chief of the UN’s Social Integration Branch, explains
the provenance, formulation and implementation of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Aging (MIPAA). MIPAA links three
themes: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being
into old age; and ensuring an enabling and supportive environment for
older persons. However, the Madrid Plan is not a “one size fits all”
approach towards the issues of global aging. Zelenev explains that the
success of MIPAA depends on intergovernmental, national government and
partners working together to set national level targets to improve the
lives of old people. National policy making must involve old people in
order to meet their human rights. Zelenev suggests that to improve
older persons’ lives the UN should adopt a comprehensive international
convention on the rights and dignity of older persons.
Recognizing
Older Persons Needs, Rights and Contributions - the Need for a UN
Convention on Ageing (August 2006)
With the UN Disability Rights Convention nearing adoption in the
General Assembly this month, three groups in the vulnerable persons
category--children, women and persons with disability—will have
successfully secured the recognition of their human rights and the
adoption of specific protection measures. GAA argues that the
international community should now put older persons into the spotlight
and adopt an internationally binding convention defining and protecting
their human rights.
Rights
of the Invisible: Older People and the Human Rights Project (December
2004)
The unacceptability of discrimination against older people is
underlined in many international policy documents and confirmed in the
legislation of a vast majority of states. But the world’s older people
are broadly invisible in the UN human rights project. Two specific
areas where progress needs to be made and where discrimination is
tolerated are: mandatory retirement ages and access to education. One
way to increase their visibility would be to establish a separate
covenant for older people. This would provide them with international
recognition and ensure their rights more effectively.
What the
United Nations Should Do About our Ageing World: A Convention to
Protect Their Rights? (2002)
The Chair of the NGO Committee on Ageing in Geneva considers the 1982
International Plan on Ageing, the United Nations Principles for Older
Persons adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1991 and the decision to
observe 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons to be
significant milestones in adapting to a greying world. However, despite
such efforts, many older persons in the world are still marginalized
and viewed as a burden to society. The General Comments of the
Committee propose that countries pay particular attention to older
women. They also suggest a need to develop measures to prevent
discrimination based on age in employment, ensure safe working
conditions for older workers, and promote the right to education and
culture. They advise the United Nations to follow in the footsteps of
the Conventions on the Rights of the Child and on Migrant Workers and
envisage a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
  
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