Intergovernmental Regional Conference on Ageing




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Intergovernmental Regional Conference on Ageing,

Latin America & the Caribbean

NGO COMMITTEE ON AGEING

December 11, 2003

The NGO Committee on Ageing made up of organizations whose work affect older persons holds monthly meetings, October to June. Here, Claire Laganne, Global Action on Aging Intern from France reports on the December 2003 meeting devoted to the Regional (Latin American and Caribbean) Conference. Organizers designed the conference to discuss and plan regional approaches to implementing the UN’s 2002 Plan of Action on Ageing developed in April 2002 in Madrid .

On December 11, I went to a Conference that explored elderly issues in Latin American and the Caribbean . José Miguel Guzman, who works for ECLAC, and Sergei B. Zelenev, from the Deparment for Economic and Social Affairs, explained the plans adopted for the Latin America and Caribbean Region to implement the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing.

José Miguel Guzman: Chief Population and Development Area. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); Regional commission of the United Nations

He considered four issues in his report:

I/ The Situation of Older Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean

According to Mr. Guzman, the population of Latin America is ageing. In 2000, 8% of the population in Latin America was 60 and over. The statistics expect 23.4% by 2050.

Economic insecurity is the first problem of the old people in Latin America .

In many Latino countries, less than 20% of retirees in urban areas receive pensions.

The statistics showed that in Honduras , Venezuela , Colombia and Paraguay , less than 20% of the retirees living in urban areas receive pensions.

In Bolivia , Costa Rica and Chile , the percentage of seniors receiving pensions is from 21% to 48%.

The higher rates comre from Brazil , Uruguay and Argentina , with more than 60% retirees who benefit from their pensions.

The elderly are also victims of health problems, simply because they have no access to health care. On average, 50% people in Latin America do not receive regular health care. Women are the first concerned: in Santiago , 65% of old women do not have health care.

Third, the elderly suffer from their physical environment. In the cities, the transportation and housing are not adapted to their needs. This is physical abuse from the environment. The seniors are also victims of social abuse: they are discriminated against in hiring for jobs and sometimes families and friends abandon or are physically abusive to them.

II/The Process to Achieve a Regional Strategy on Ageing

In order to improve the situation of the elderly in Latin America , an inter-agency group on ageing and expert-group meetings has been developed. The first meeting took place in Santa Cruz ( Bolivia ). Many institutions still exist, such as ECLAC, the UN Programme on Ageing and the World Bank Program. A meeting was organised in Panama in April 2003. The last conference was in Santiago de Chile, in November.

But all these meetings need the support of the countries in the region. Communication continues but it’s difficult due to the frequent change of staff in the agencies. However the cooperation is still here: During the Santiago de Chile meeting, 30 countries attended as members and 7 countries were presented as observers. A regional strategy was announced at the end of the conference.

III/The Results: Regional Strategy and its contents

The participants reviewed the protection of Human Rights for older persons. As a conference goal, they underlined the right to good living conditions for seniors. They also looked at support for economic security, social participation and promotion of older persons’ needs and inclusion in society and development.

In addition, they acted on the health of seniors. They said that there must be guarantees for health-care services adapted to older people’s needs and quality of life in old age. The preservation of older people’s autonomy was also an important issue.

To guarantee economic security and good health, the participants decided that a supportive environment as indispensable. Physical abuses have to be diminished and all forms of discrimination against seniors must be eliminated by promoting a good image of old people.

Each country in Latin America is supposed to promote these actions. Without the support of the countries, change and progress are not possible. Each country has to find a better way to succeed. This is a public policy issue.

The countries that participated in the Conference of Santiago, Chile, agreed to define the targets and the policies to assure the improvements for the older population. ECLAC will be in charge of the programs and policies, as technical secretariat and representative of the UN.

IV/ Challenges

The law has to be respected in the Latin America countries. Respect of the law and social order were the two next big issues. The government has a role to play, and the civil society too.

Sergei B. Zelenev, Chief of Social Integration Branch- Division for Social Policy and Development. DESA: Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

According to Mr. Zelenevhim, three issues have to be considered: the promotion of older persons’ rights, the issue of vulnerability and ageing, and the economic and social policy.

The society is not only for young and active, but also for old people, who contribute by many ways to the improvement of the society. This has to be recognized.

Old people are also victims of vulnerability. National action must be taken to protect old people’s rights. This kind of help should come from each country in national action. Making an international code would not be so strong and would face difficulty in enforcement. The vulnerability and dependence of old people does not come from their age, but from their environment: They are victims of exclusion, discrimination and lack of social protection.

Economic instability is an issue with which each government has to deal in order to find a way to give old people a decent life with enough financial means.