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Aging Watch at the United Nations
Please access our special page on MIPAA
follow-up during the UN Commission on Social Development here.
Picture
Credit: Photo Researchers, Inc./Vanessa Vick
In April 2002, delegates of 160 governments, intergovernmental institutions and NGOs came together at the United Nations Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid, Spain, in order to revise the Vienna Plan on Ageing and establish a long-term strategy for aging populations.
The Assembly’s outcome document, the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
(MIPAA), commits governments to integrate the rights and needs of older persons into national, as well as international, economic and social development policies. This
website monitors reports and decisions of the UN system, with regard to the follow-up of MIPAA, on an ongoing basis.
Background
Documents | MIPAA
Implementation and Follow-up | Current Issues
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Links
Background
Documents
Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing (2002)
(Also available in Russian)
160 UN Member States adopted the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA)
in April 2002. Later, the General Assembly affirmed the Plan on December
2002 during its 57th session. The document addresses four major areas of concern: older persons and
development; health and well-being into old age; enabling and supportive
environments for ageing; and implementation and follow-up. While MIPAA asks
governments to integrate the rights and needs of older persons into national
and international economic and social development policies, the plan is not
legally binding. Therefore, MIPPA relies on each government’s willingness
and capacity for implementation.
The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Older Persons
(December 8, 1995)
The Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
was created by the Member States parties to the 1995 Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights to improve its translation into acts by drawing
governments' attention on the implementation's insufficiencies. This document demonstrates how the UN mainstreams older
persons in its work. It contains Committee's recommendations on how to
implement this comprehensive treaty on older person's economic, social and
cultural rights. International
Conference on Population and Development Program of Action (1994)
At the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, 179 countries recognized the interdependence of population and
development. The conference adopted a 20-year Programme of Action, which
includes provisions to protect older persons, particularly with regard to
establishing social security systems; eliminating all forms of violence and
discrimination; increasing access to healthcare; and assisting those
displaced during conflict. The subsequent Madrid International Plan of Action on
Ageing incorporated these provisions six years later.
Vienna
International Plan of Action on Ageing (1982)
UN Member States adopted the
Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing at the World Assembly on
Ageing in Vienna, Austria in 1982. The Vienna Plan was the first international agreement to guide
policies and programs on aging and included the following areas: health and
nutrition, protection on elderly consumers, housing and environment, family,
social welfare, income security and employment, and education. Critics argue
that the Plan did little to address older persons' issues in poor countries.
In 2002, the more inclusive Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing
replaced the Vienna Plan.
Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948)
This fundamental text describes the values, rights and goals
of the United Nations and specifically mentions the security of human beings
in their old age.
MIPAA Implementation and Follow-up
General Assembly | Department
of Economic and Social Affairs |
Regional Commissions | Functional
Commissions | Specialized Agencies |
Funds & Programs | NGOs
General Assembly
The General Assembly (GA) is the most inclusive organ of the UN,
involving all UN member states. The GA meets annually in headquarters in New York. Every year its crowded agenda includes a follow-up to the World Assembly
on Ageing on which the GA passes resolutions. Before the GA decides on a
resolution, the GA Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) leads
debates on the issue and negotiates and submits draft resolutions. This page
follows GA resolutions on MIPAA and provides links to the Third Committee
for further research.
UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
In the UN Secretariat, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has responsibility to foster and assist MIPAA implementation and follow-up. Within DESA, the UN Programme on Ageing assumes the main responsibility for MIPAA and works with other parts of the UN to get the task done. In a very positive movement, the UN Programme of Youth began taking a closer look at MIPAA in 2003, strengthening its approach to inter-generational issues and mainstreaming MIPAA's recommendations.
UN
Programme on Ageing
DESA’s Program on Aging organizes expert group
meetings and promotes awareness of the bottom-up approach through guidelines
in order to assist countries in MIPAA follow-up. DESA also receives assessments
on the aging situation from regional commissions and makes
recommendations to the UN Secretary General for inclusion in a yearly
report. With less than four staff professionals the UN Programme on Ageing is quite understaffed compared with other
UN departments and considering the magnitude of population aging. This page
also includes work of other DESA departments.
United Nations Programme on Youth
Within DESA, the UN Programme on Youth acts as the focal point for youth issues. In 1995, the UN adopted an international strategy, the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond. The World Programme shares similarities to MIPAA as it builds on the same international instruments, such as the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Most importantly, a proposed supplement to the World Programme stresses intergenerational solidarity that resonates throughout MIPAA. This page follows the Youth Programme’s work on mainstreaming the recommendations contained in MIPAA.
Regional Commissions
Five
commissions, comprising the countries of each main region of the world, contribute to policy formulation and implementation
of MIPAA from
a regional perspective. Concerned
about the impact of ageing populations for social and economic development,
the commissions are paying increasing attention to this issue, and some of
them have adopted specific policies. At its 2004 session, the UN General
Assembly encouraged those commissions that have not yet done so, to
elaborate a regional strategy for the implementation of the Madrid Plan of
Action. So far, ageing programs have been adopted by the following regional
commissions:
 UN
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
UNECE is the main
oversight body for the European regional implementation strategy for MIPAA
and conducts follow-up reviews at its annual sessions. On this page
you can find key UNECE documents on MIPAA implementation as well as links
for further research.
 UN
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC)
UNECLAC helps put the
ideas from the MIPAA into effect by setting up conferences, meetings and
training sessions for regional governmental and intergovernmental groups.
UNECLAC's population and development unit assumes responsibility
for MIPAA’s implementation and follow-up and meets biennially to review
the progress of each member country and set goals for the next two
years.
This page compiles ECLAC’s reports on MIPAA
implementation and provides links to further research.
 UN
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
UNESCAP
facilitates two action
plans on aging, the Macao and the Madrid Plan. UNESCAP’s Population and Social Integration Section
organizes regional meetings, seminars and training sessions for its Member
States
and NGOS. UNESCAP also conduct regular regional
surveys on aging to foster and monitor implementation of the
Macao
and Madrid
plans of action on aging.
Functional Commissions
ECOSOC establishes functional commissions to study different issues within its mandate and make specific policy recommendations. The commissions, which are composed of UN Member States, vary in composition and focus. As part of the follow-up to the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, ECOSOC and the General Assembly designated the Commission on Social Development as the main forum for MIPAA evaluation. Additionally, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Population and Development, and the Statistical Commission were asked to address MIPAA within their respective topic areas. At the 2004 session of the General Assembly, all other functional commissions were also invited "to integrate the issues of population and individual ageing into their work in order to promote implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action."
Commission
on Social Development
As part of the follow-up to the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing, ECOSOC and the General Assembly
designated the Commission on Social Development to integrate
the different dimensions of population aging into its work and to give
priority to MIPAA implementation and follow-up. This page follows the Commission's decisions and resolutions
as the main UN body in charge of MIPAA evaluation. The page also cites NGO efforts at the Commission to mainstream older
persons in the UN system.
Commission on Population and Development
Following the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held at Cairo in 1994, the Commission on Population and Development expanded its role as the main follow-up mechanism to the decisions of the Conference, and the new international approaches that aim to integrate population concerns into development strategies. The Commission is responsible for preparing studies and advising ECOSOC on a range of population issues, such as population aging; monitoring, reviewing and assessing the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action and making appropriate recommendations to the Council on its findings.
Specialized
Agencies
UN specialized agencies have a special relationship with the UN under agreements
reached with ECOSOC, which is authorized to coordinate their activities
through consultation and recommendations, and to request reports on the
implementation of recommendations made by it or by the General Assembly. The
agencies are therefore deeply involved in the follow-up to UN global
conferences including the World
Assembly on Ageing, and are expected to take action to implement their
respective responsibilities under these mandates. The following agencies have adopted programs to ensure the integration of the needs of
older persons in their work:
The
International Labour Organisation
The ILO conducts MIPAA implementation and follow-up by participating in inter-agency meetings and by contributing to reports on aging. Two ILO units are also part of a task force that guides “the follow-up of the Regional Implementation Strategy of the MIPAA in the UNECE region.”
World
Health Organization
The World Health Organization contributed to the World Assembly on
Aging in 2002 and remains actively involved in MIPPA implementation and
follow-up, particularly by assisting poor countries in shaping and adopting
aging policies.
UN Funds and Programs
As
many new countries gained their independence and joined the UN in the 1950s
and 1960s, a variety of funds and programs were established to mobilize
international funding and expertise in order to help them achieve their
development goals.
Population
Fund
First established in 1969, the UN Population Fund
is the major source of funding and expertise for population and reproductive
health programs within the UN system. The Fund's work on population aging is
guided by the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. On this page
you will find information on the Fund's MIPAA implementation efforts.
NGOs
The UN Charter, Article 71, says that the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC) “may make suitable arrangements
for consultation with non-governmental organizations which are concerned
with matters within its competence.” NGOs often act as independent
experts to the UN or its Member States. As such, they have brought many important topics of discussion,
including the need for a disability rights convention, to the attention of
the UN system. While there are over 2,600 NGOs in consultative status
with ECOSOC, only a handful work specifically on aging.
NGOs
Putting the non-binding Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing into practice
largely depends on NGO efforts. Often, these organizations form the
backbone of regional implementation efforts through their local programs,
research and offers to share their expertise with government ministries.
Yet, little information can be found on the NGO “bottom-up” work. This
section attempts to document NGO input into MIPAA implementation and
follow-up at the UN headquarters in New York and around the world.
Current
Issues
World: Introduction: Population Shifts: Challenges and Opportunities for Economic and Social sustainability (July 1, 2008)
On July 1, 2008, ECOSOC and AARP held a side event at the annual ministerial review of the Economic and Social Council at the UN Headquarters in New York. The panel addressed demographic changes across the globe and their impact on social and economic policies. GAA’s Research Associates heard three speakers who dealt the aging aspect of these developments.
Lucia Maria Maierá, Minister, Head of Department of Human Rights and Social Affairs, Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations:
Ms. Maierá gave a short overview about the world aging population. She pointed out that Brazil must consider older persons in its policies and practices. For example, legislators are working to put more about elder human rights into the Brazilian Constitution.
Dan Zhang, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United
Nations:
Dan Zhang shared information about her home country, China. She shared current and estimated population data for the future. The Chinese population is aging very rapidly, challenging the capacity of the government to meet their needs. Ms. Dan spoke some of China’s approaches to sustainable solutions and programs.
Peggy Kelly, Programme on Ageing, Division for Social Policyand Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United
Nations:
On behalf of the Programme on Ageing, Peggy Kelly updated the audience about review activities for the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA). She alluded to the Programme’s Draft Report for the UN Secretary General that specifically mentions the “rights of older persons,” fuelling hopes that such language can survive into the official Report to the General Assembly. More, it could the basis for work to begin on a Human Rights Convention (or Treaty) guaranteeing the rights of older persons.
Report: UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS
(UNGASS) Indicators: Where are the Over-50s? (June 2008)
HIV/AIDS and older persons are rarely mentioned together. Writers and readers alike assume that older persons don’t engage in sex and have no need to learn about “protected sex.” This blind spot means that millions of older people are left out of international and national policy and education about HIV/AIDS and its transmission, thus limiting the HIV/AIDS response.
Report: Regional Dimensions of the Ageing Situation (May 2008)
In 2002, delegates from UN member countries laid the foundations for policy making on aging issues. While the topics were similar-- health care, employment and social protection--people experience aging differently and respond in many ways. Today, six years later, governments have taken stock of their progress. The UN has published their reviews and appraisals that have now been collated by region.
Report: Action for Youth Development: Intergenerational Issues (May 19-21, 2008)
In mid May GAA staffer, Magali Girod, attended the Expert Group Meeting on Goals and Targets for the World Programme of Action for Youth and participated in the discussions on intergenerational solidarity. One speaker, Elizabeth Larkins, an Associate Professor from the University of Florida, spoke about grand-parents and grand-children –or a generation gap of more than 30 years. She analyzed the situation of youth and older persons without an intermediate generation. This report gives a brief overview about her analytical approaches and her conclusions.
World: United Nations: Launching Geneva Lecture Series, Secretary-General Says Global Food Crisis Chance To Address Root Problems Of World's Poorest, Majority Of Whom Are Small Farmers (April
30, 2008)
Global Action on Aging always keeps an eye on the UN’s work. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke in Geneva about the situation of the world’s 100 billion poorest people. He
focused on the food crisis, the risks in the current situation, the missed opportunities to take action over the last recent years. And he
projected important goals to respond to the current crisis. Interestingly, he speaks about his personal childhood experience of hunger and poverty and mentions his grandparents’ situation as they suffered from starvation in Korea.
Russia: United Nations: Russia's Population Fastly Decreases (April 28, 2008)
The United Nations released a report which said that Russia's attempts to change the demographic situation were not enough to reverse a critical fall in its population to 100 million in 40 to 50 years. Fast population aging may also result in having only 1 million of people of working age in about 20 years.
UN: Press Conference By United Nations Special Rapporteur On Right To Food (April
26, 2008)
Global Action on Aging updates our coverage on the food crisis, featuring the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Ziegler. (DATE) He pointed outs that food is a human right in his forthright speech at the New York Headquarters Press Conference on April 26, 2008, in New York. He showed that
100,000 people around the world are dying daily from hunger-related causes, and that one in six were gravely or permanently undernourished. Zeigler pointed to how the hunger crisis is creating a serious refugee problem. He criticized sanctions on bio-fuel because they produce inefficient results. The oil and auto companies have yet to yield to the human right for food. And the poor of the world continue to suffer.
World: UNESCO: Global Food Crisis is Unavoidable (April 15, 2008)
(Article in Russian)
Governments must swiftly change their farming methods to avoid worldwide food crisis, social breakdown and environmental collapse, says a recent UNESCO report. Agricultural production comes at high environmental and social costs while soaring food prices are plunging millions of people into potentially deadly poverty. “The status quo is no longer an option,” say the experts.
World: UN Chief: Food Crisis Is Now Emergency (April 14, 2008)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has addressed the 2008 food crisis, saying that it is very important to give high priority to this crisis. He urges short term action. Many people are hungry and may die of starvation. He wants governments to support the UN World Food Programme with a $500 Million emergency aid donation by May 1, 2008. The United Nations is key to this urgent campaign.
Links
Focal Points on Aging |
Organizations
FOCAL POINTS ON AGING
UN
System Focal Points
In preparation for the World Assembly on Ageing, the UN created focal points
on aging within the UN system. This listing of UN focal points has been
updated by Global Action on Aging in 2006.
National
Aging Focal Points of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Member
States (October 2006)
In order to facilitate regional MIPAA implementation, the UN Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) created a network of national focal points on
ageing among its Member States. The focal points collect information about
each country’s political processes, programs and actions with respect to
aging, and act as advisers for the collection and interpretation of data on
aging within their regions. As of October 2006, some 34 out of 56 UNECE
Member States have nominated a focal point. The first meeting of national
focal points took place in November 2006, in Segovia, Spain.
National
Aging Focal Points of the UN Economic and Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean's Member States - Latin America (March 2007)
Responding to ECLAC's regional implementation strategy
for MIPAA, 19 Latin American ECLAC Member States thus far designated focal
points on aging in national ministries. (Source: UN NGLS)
ORGANIZATIONS
HelpAge International
This page follows MIPAA implementation efforts and presents information on
interesting projects, such as the “Older Citizens Monitor the Madrid
Plan” initiative in which older persons around the world directly monitor
their governments’ MIPAA implementation process.
International
Institute on Ageing
The International Institute
on Ageing was established in Malta
in 1988, on the recommendation of ECOSOC, as an autonomous body within the
UN system. Its main objective is to "empower the less developed
countries to cope with the challenges of the consequences of mass longevity
in the next decades by building capacity" through training and
education. The Institute's website provides updated information on
international aging conferences.
UN
Non-Governmental Liaison Service
On this page UN NGLS provides basic UN documents on
aging, updates on MIPAA implementation activities as well as useful links for further research.
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