Interview of Docteur Edilia Camargo

By Global Action on Aging

October 4, 2007

Edilia Camargo

Edilia Camargo belongs to ‘Red Continental Personas Mayores,’ an organization composed of delegations from fourteen countries in Latin America. The group is organizing a network to fight for elderly people’s rights in Latin America. From Panama, Edilia Camargo, now retired, worked for the UNESCO in Paris for twenty years. 

The network

At the beginning, only ten countries belonged to the network. Today it is composed of delegations from fourteen countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Chili, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Cuba, Uruguay, Ecuador and Dominican Republic. The delegations are foundations, Third Age Universities, associations and experts. As a result, the Network is very diversified. Different groups participate in the network and they do not always share the same level of education, nor the same culture and values. Nonetheless, they are trying to work together in order to establish a synthesis of their interests about aging.

Why a network?

The network is important so that people from different countries and with different cultures understand that they are not alone in their fight for a better world for older persons. The network intends to consolidate national networks and to encourage older people to organize themselves. It also tries to promote a decent image of the elderly, as actors in civil society. They want elders included in a real development policy. 

General Assembly

So far, the Red Continental Personas Mayores has met three times. In 2003, the General Assembly took place in Bogotá. Participants discussed how to make the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing compulsory for Member States. The fourth Assembly will be held in Porto Allegre, November 23-26, 2007. 

Future objectives

According to Edilia Camargo, the Red Continental Personas Mayores and the other organizations related to aging must now ‘follow the path’ as the United Nations is waking up on aging issues. For her, the most important challenge is to let aging people around the world know that they have rights. Also, all citizens should listen more to older adults’ opinions and ideas. 

For more information, please visit the Red Continental Personas Mayores Website (Website in Spanish) 

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