Difficult Situation of Africa and Countries in Conflict in support of Older People highlighted at Ageing Assembly in Madrid

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Along with all this, we must understand that increased travel by older persons heightens the need to provide special services that will ensure that they have equal opportunities for leisure and social opportunities, as in other areas of life. Older travellers have special needs but the also have special expectations. They have a spirit of discovery and adventure. But health and dietary concerns are important to them. They also prize culture and education while travelling. The impact increased travel of the elderly will have on economies cannot be overestimated. The average growth in travel is 4 per cent for travellers over 60, the average increase is 10 per cent. There will be a revolution in vacation, leisure and travel activities for older persons that will correspond with the ageing revolution.

More importantly, while this phenomenon will no doubt help countries of the North, there are signs that it will soon expand to the developing world -- beginning with significant increases in travel in East Asia and the Pacific. A large percentage of the world's ageing population is made up of wealthy, healthy "baby boomers." This group is culturally different from travellers of previous generations in that they access to significant disposable incomes. They also will tend to gravitate towards cultural and eco-tourism. This is not only good news for the developed world, it is particularly good news for developing countries, whose secluded locales and scenic landscapes hold the lure of adventure. The leisure industry generates more that $470 billion a year and is a major factor in economic trade, making the leisure industry one of the few economic sectors that could actually provide real benefits for developing countries.

R. OMOTAYO OLANIYAN, Chairman of the Delegation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU): People aged over 60 account for 4.5 per cent of the population of Africa. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997 show that Africans 60 years of age and over will increase from 22.9 million in 1980 to 101.9 million in 2025. This could drain African economies if a proportionate increase in the workforce does not occur. And it may not if the negative effects of HIV/AIDS on adolescents, women and the elderly in many counties on the continent are not halted and reversed.

The OAU Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing is unique among world regions. It provides a common framework for developing national action plans on ageing in African countries. The Framework underscores the role of family in the care, support and welfare of older people. It emphasizes the need to tackle chronic poverty, and recognizes the importance of addressing issues affecting older persons. Our organization has further noted the need to adequately address problems of old age and demographic imbalances in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the African Union.

The commitment of our continent to ageing problems and the need to find appropriate solutions have encouraged us to be part of this process. We see this Assembly as part of the process for attaining the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include halving poverty in developing countries. As we work on finalizing the conference documents -- the Plan of Action and the Political Declaration -- we would urge the international community to provide policy actions that would effectively address the critical issues of ageing in our development process. We must also pay equal attention to the problems of older persons in countries experiencing and emerging from conflict.

TODD PETERSEN, Chief Executive of HelpAge International: HelpAge International is a worldwide development agency, active in over 80 countries, with the mandate to support disadvantaged older women and men to make sustainable improvements to their lives. Our core message to the Assembly today is that the greatest and most implacable enemy of old age is poverty. Poverty brings with it hunger and illness. It puts the wishes of older women and men to contribute to family and community through work and household activity under great strain. Older women, who live longer and are likely to be widowed, face special problems due to a lifetime of discrimination and lack of material assets.

Old-age poverty is both the cause and effect of inter-generational poverty. It is hard for younger generations to care for their older relatives when they themselves are poor. It is equally hard for older relatives to care for younger relatives orphaned by AIDS or made homeless by civil conflict and natural disaster when they are struggling with lack of resources and ill health. The Millennium Declaration does not mention old age and its development goals do not identify old-age poverty as one of the ills of the twenty-first century that must be eradicated. We believe that this is a serious omission. Unless the poverty of older people is tackled, the international goal of halving poverty by 2015 will not be met. We urge nothing less than that older people be accorded their right to equal treatment and to an equitable share of resources at the national and the international level.

ELENA BUSTILLO SUAREZ, President of the Federation of Women for Democracy: Our organization is an association which has worked for the defence of women to participate in all levels of society. In that spirit, we have actively participated in the NGO Forum, which successfully concluded its work in relation to this Assembly yesterday. We give courses throughout Spain for the training of women, with special emphasis on access to the training market. We are also developing a technical project for women in the Dominican Republic.

In many States, older persons remain an "invisible community" to their governments and social institutions. We have observed the feminization of ageing and women are now the most vulnerable ageing community. This is usually because they are less skilled and have not been able to participate fully in the labour market. Still, we must work to remove the stigma of old age. Indeed, the majority of older persons contribute significantly to their communities and societies. In Spain, pension schemes have been improved, particularly those aimed at addressing the needs of the poorest women. An important element of our social security system is that active labour after the age of 65 does not interfere with qualification for pension benefits. We will continue to work to improve the situation of older persons. Growing old successfully means that one has overcome life's many challenges and we must all work to ensure that the benefits of such success can contribute to the overall improvement of society.

GLORIA GUTMAN, President of the International Association of Gerontology: The Association represents 63 organizations in 60 countries with a combined membership of over 46,000. The objectives of the organizations are to promote research on ageing and training of personnel, disseminate information on best practices and promote the interests of national gerontological societies in international affairs.

This is the first time in history that a United Nations social summit has been preceded by a meeting of scientists, researchers, educators and practitioners for the purpose of gathering the scientific evidence base. A Research Agenda was elaborated on 1-4 April by the Valencia Forum, which gathered 500 experts in ageing research, education, policy and practice in gerontology and geriatrics from around the world. The meeting was organized to provide a scientific basis for the draft International Plan of Action being discussed by the World Assembly.

The report of the Valencia Forum and the Research Agenda for the twenty-first century stress the importance of using the knowledge and understanding of human ageing as a basis for formulating sound and achievable policies for action. They also underline the importance of viewing ageing as a positive experience and ageing persons as a major resource to their societies who should be valued and respected. At the same time, it is important to recognize that some members of the ageing population, especially the very old, have major needs for health care, social services and support.

There is a need for a new vision of ageing that addresses both life style and factors influencing health and well-being that are under the control of individuals, as well as "big picture issues", including concerted efforts for the eradication of poverty. The results are in. Research clearly indicates a very strong relationship between health and socio-economic status. There is no doubt that to address the issue of ageing, poverty must be squarely addressed, along with the attitudes that exclude older persons from the mainstream.

FREDRICK FENECH, President of the International Institute on Ageing : The main concern of the Second World Assembly on Ageing was to determine factors leading to the successful implementation of the recommendations of the First World Assembly on Ageing. This concern has been expressed by academics at the Valencia Forum and by grass-roots spokespersons during the NGO Forum, as well as various governmental delegations here.

One of those factors has been education and training in the field of ageing. Educational and training needs identified in the Vienna International Plan of Action in 1982 still apply. However, new educational and training requirements have recently emerged. Due to increased longevity attained during the past few years, especially in developing countries, the education of older persons themselves has become more important.

The International Institute was set up in 1988 under the auspices of the United Nations to focus on the urgent training and educational needs of developing countries. It has now become necessary to cater to life expectations of significantly longer than 60 years. In future, radical changes in education will have to be implemented. In general, education and training in ageing was largely oriented towards training personnel to do things for older persons. Most development programs for older persons were targeted towards self-development, rather than empowering them to be of service to society.

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