Speakers urge International Support for Ageing Plans at  Madrid Assembly

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GHADA AL-JABI, Minister for Labour and Social Affairs of Syria: What is sometimes adopted as a criterion of development does not always represent the reality of the human aspiration to a better life for various social segments, particularly those whose needs require more attention by the community. The availability of social care requires first that a single standard should prevail regarding the rights of people and States to enjoy the basic human rights provided for in international charters, especially the respect of independence. We are witnessing the gross violation of human rights in Palestine, the Golan and southern Lebanon through the continuous Israeli occupation.

Syria, in collaboration with international and regional organizations, continues to pay great attention to the social question. An accelerating rate of longevity moves parallel to a process of modernization of the economic, political and social structures, a notable decline in mortality rates, a decrease in fertility and a comparative retreat in the rates of natural population growth. In light of all this, there is an increasing need to take effective and essential measures to prepare for the coming socio-economic implications, particularly relating to the issue of caring for the elderly. This care falls on the shoulders of the State, the family and the community at large.

Syria has drawn up a national plan of social and health care for the aged, which aims at: preservation and promotion of the health of older persons; improvement of their economic and social conditions; promotion of awareness of their needs, ensuring their welfare; provision of psychiatric care; and research and study. There are 20 houses caring for ageing and disabled people in Syria. Ageing people benefit from the services offered by the State to all citizens without any discrimination, guaranteed by law.

ERNESTO PAZMINO GRANIZO, Vice-Minister of Social Welfare of Ecuador: While it has become obvious that the world's increasing population of older people has become a topic which governments and NGOs must urgently address, in many States, older communities remain invisible and very little is being done to ensure that they benefit from social policies that can enhance their lives. To ignore the needs of the elderly is tantamount to a violation of their rights. It is also an inexcusable waste of historical and cultural resources that could benefit all humankind. Very little has been done since the First World Assembly on Ageing held 20 years ago in Vienna, particularly in poor countries. Here in Madrid, then, we must make it a priority to address the relationship between ageing and development.

We believe that global development policies must be created and we must ensure that older people and representatives from elder communities are included in the elaboration of such strategies. We must also eradicate stereotypical and discriminatory attitudes, so that growing old will be seen as a positive experience. Attention must be given to poor or marginalized people, particularly those living in rural areas. Governments must work with civil society in order to adapt national policies for the benefit of their older populations. We must also work to ensure that gender balance is included in all policies and programmes. Ecuador, like many developing countries, has many unique problems that hamper many of our efforts to ensure stable social security and development.

The number of elderly has doubled over the last 20 years. Their income generally comes from social assistance and social security programes run by the State. Our new Constitution aims to shore up our social development frameworks and places particular emphasis on the creation of a sustainable pension system. Other recent legislation is being adopted which will ensure that the principles of the Constitution can be carried out.

I must emphasize that international actors and donors must cooperate with poor countries to devise a plan so that they can alleviate the heavy debt burdens they bear. Ecuador uses more than half of its resources earmarked for development towards debt payments. This situation is untenable and a solution must be found if poor countries are to live up to their international commitments. This will require industrialized countries to live up to their international commitments and meet the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for official development assistance (ODA).

DARIA KRSTICEVIC (Bosnia and Herzegovina): Today, there is definitely much more awareness of the problems associated with ageing than in 1982, when the First World Assembly on Ageing took place. And yet, ageing has not been receiving adequate attention from the international community. The Second Assembly is called upon to rectify this situation.

As a post-war society, my country is facing a situation that is much more complicated than in other countries. Following the armed conflict and ethnic cleansing, over 1 million people have been displaced, and many thousands are dead. Most older persons live with their families. The majority of the older persons' homes have been damaged or destroyed. In my country, protection of persons over 65 years of age is guaranteed under the law, but many legal provisions are difficult to implement because of the damage suffered as a result of war. The Government does not have sufficient resources to address the social problems in the country, including those of older people.

The process of population ageing is very fast in both developed and developing countries, but the developing countries have much smaller resources to face the challenges associated with this phenomenon. We call upon the international community to provide assistance to the developing countries in dealing with the emerging difficulties. It is important to ensure that people everywhere age with dignity. Health care, income security and full participation must be among our top priorities. We are responsible for creating the global society of tomorrow.

JENNI NANA (New Zealand): New Zealand is a Pacific nation of just over 3.7 million people, 16 per cent of whom are 60 years old and over. By 2050, the proportion of older people will have doubled to 32 per cent. That change will be all the more significant because it will be accompanied by increases in the ethnic and social make-up of our elderly communities. In the future, New Zealand's older populations will include higher percentages of Maori, as well as Pacific and Asian peoples. All those groups will have different aspirations and expectations. We also expect that older women will be more likely to have had a long employment history, while older men will have experienced greater diversity in their professional lives. Older persons are expected to be healthier, more skilled, better educated and more active than ever before.

It will therefore become increasingly important to monitor the changing characteristics of this population so that policies for older people can be tailored to promote positive ageing. That concept embraces a number of factors, including health, financial security, independence, self-fulfilment and personal safety. The premise that underpins the notion of positive ageing required that the years of "old age" be both viewed and experienced "positively". Promoting positive attitudes towards ageing is the first step to achieving this goal.

Positive ageing begins at birth and policies to that end should support people to lead active and productive lives as they grow older. Such policies should also promote the participation of older persons in the economy of their communities. Supporting continued participation in old age has benefits for all members of society. It is therefore important that Government policies address a range of issues, including employment, health, housing and income support, with the aim of enhancing the overall ageing experience. To this end, my Government has developed a positive ageing strategy, launched last April. The strategy sets out the Government's commitment to positive ageing and has included a review of existing policies and services to ensure consistency with the principles of positive ageing. It is a living document, which requires all Government agencies to identify "work items" each year that can contribute to the achievement of priority goals.

PRAK SOKHONN (Cambodia): With hardly 5 per cent of the population over 60 and more than half under 20, Cambodia can be considered a young country. The situation is a result of a lengthy period of troubled years that caused the death of many men and women during the Khmer Rouge regime, and also by the baby boom of the 1980s. By 2020, the percentage of older persons may not exceed 7 per cent. This does not mean that Cambodia does not realize the problems of ageing. Poverty and technological change directly affect the problem of the ageing. Average life expectancy is 54 and the average income is barely a dollar a day.

Cambodia must focus its efforts to overcome the past and to combat poverty. With the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour and Veterans in the front-line, the Government is pursuing projects for the elderly based on the principles of the United Nations conferences and summits. It is encouraging cooperation with NGOs, as well as with the private sector to ensure sustainable improvement in the quality of life of older persons. The Government is contributing to ensuring the perpetuation of traditional values of the family and the communities, which has held up remarkably despite the war, to guarantee older persons their support and participation in society with the dignity they deserve. But sometimes children are too poor to provide their elders with the required support.

Older persons in Cambodia work as long as they can. They help each other and benefit from mutual assistance, which is traditional in the village. Another characteristic is the outstanding role the pagodas play in society. They are not only sites of religious observance but also are centres for getting together and solidarity for village communities. They provide older persons with friendly centres in which socializing is combined with social work. Building a society for all ages requires not only the solidarity of all generations but also of all nations. The developing countries, and in particular the poorest countries, are therefore counting on international solidarity to turn their aspirations into reality.

GRACE MUZYAMBA, Director of Social Welfare, Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare of Zambia: Older people are a valuable segment of Zambian society. The Government of Zambia continues to put in place policies and programmes aimed at addressing their well-being. It is reviewing its national population policy to incorporate issues of ageing. The social welfare programme will also be refocused in order to spell out the special needs of older persons. Zambia is already implementing one of the major safety nets by addressing the basic needs of vulnerable older persons.

Zambia upholds the fundamental principles of the family as the main social unit. The Government is promoting the role of the family in the care of its older members and protection of their rights. Due to the poor economic situation in the country, in which about 70 per cent of the population are living in poverty, Zambia's traditional support system for the aged has been seriously eroded. Changing cultural values, compounded by the effects of globalization, are also undermining traditional values of respect and support for older persons. As a consequence, some of them are left to fend for themselves. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has also had a negative impacted on the well-being of older persons and on support services for them.

MANFREDO KEMPFF SUAREZ (Bolivia): Sadly, a few years ago, my country would not have been represented at an international conference on the issue of ageing. Malnutrition in infancy, lack of education and, particularly, the horrible working conditions in the mines and fields wiped away any thoughts our people had about growing old. Times have changed, though. And as living standards have risen, so has our average life expectancy. Because of our growing population of older people and their call to our Government that they want to remain in their communities, we are now happily compelled to participate in all international forums aimed at ushering in a new era for the entire world -- the era of active ageing.

As we attempt our best to answer that call, we will in turn call on the wider international community to help us reverse trends that have led to poverty and underdevelopment in our country. We are not asking for gifts. We are asking for markets. Access to markets will give us the chance to stabilize our economic and social situations while continuing important and innovative efforts to fight drug trafficking.

In Bolivia, the majority of our elderly population lives in poverty. Moreover, 55 per cent are illiterate and have no access to alternative education programmes. Most receive very low incomes and do not own homes. While they do live with their families, they also suffer from high incidents of abuse. They lead an appalling existence of marginalization and isolation. Some years ago, there were nomadic tribes in the Amazon who left their older people to die in the jungle when they could no longer walk. That is a sad but true example of the way older people were treated. That is not what we want for our elder communities today. Indeed we value the contributions of our older populations and we have worked to ensure that seniors are integrated into society. We have a national plan for older persons which promotes the participation of civil society in implementing initiatives to ensure sustainable development and the protection of our elder populations.

ABDULLAH SIRAJ (Jordan): The world has never before witnessed such an increase in the number of older persons. In this context, the convening of the Assembly presents an opportunity to take stock of the policies and programmes implemented at various levels. Meeting the needs of older people is linked to social development issues. In order to achieve numerous objectives of catering to the needs of older people, developing countries must face many constraints. Therefore, it is important to take into account their particular economic and social needs.

The political complexities of meeting the needs of older people are exacerbated by armed conflict and foreign occupation. This is illustrated by the situation in the Middle East, where elderly Palestinian people are subjected to unprecedented abuse. Displacement, detention, killing and destruction of cities, villages and refugee camps constitute a flagrant violation of human rights. The international community must put an end to such a situation. Israel must realize that there is no solution in the use of military force, and return to the negotiating table. It should implement the decisions of international legitimacy to put an end to the occupation of all occupied territories.

Jordan bases its attitude towards the elderly on its traditions and the tenets of Islam. Solidarity and cohesion within the family are considered to form one of the pillars of social unity. In this context, Jordan depends on the extended family system, which provides the elderly with care and protection within their own environment. A national plan for the elderly aims to increase the capacity of care centres and voluntary institutions, as well as giving encouragement and support for charitable organizations. We also encourage research of the phenomenon of ageing and creation of clubs for the elderly people and geriatric clinics. Access to services and comprehensive health insurance are also among the country's priorities. We are also making efforts to enact legislation for the protection of the older people.

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