Challenge presented by Poverty, Importance of Inter-Generational Solidarity among themes raised as Ageing Assembly continues in Madrid

By : United Nations
April 10, 2002

Speakers Describe Important Role of National Action Plans :

The constraints presented by poverty, and by related issues such as illiteracy and the impact of poor health and HIV/AIDS, on efforts to respond to the challenge of ageing were addressed by a number of speakers as the Second World Assembly on Ageing continued its general exchange of views this morning.

The representative of Haiti said illiteracy was a major obstacle to a flourishing life in people's golden years in his country. Addressing his country's national action plan on older persons, he said his Government last year had launched a campaign to half the rate of illiteracy by 2004. As a result, a considerable amount of older persons, who never dreamed they would do so, have benefited from the ability to read. To that end, thousands of young students had dedicated themselves to that civic and patriotic task, which he called a true example of inter-generational solidarity.

Noting that programs to fill the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" and to fight poverty were impossible without sufficient resources, he called on all members of the Assembly to recognize that the economic sanctions imposed on Haiti could only destroy its already fragile socio-economic infrastructure.

As many speakers did, the Vice-Minister for Special Missions of Japan, Masahiko Otsubo, spoke about national challenges faced in dealing with an ageing society. Addressing the issue of inter-generational solidarity, he said efforts to build a society for all ages were predicated on promoting that solidarity. Rapid ageing of Japan's population was beginning to have a major impact on the generational balance that so far had stabilized its social security schemes, such as pension funds and health insurance plans. That constituted a serious challenge in ensuring inter-generational fairness and sustainability of social security systems.

Also speaking on his country's national plan of action, Singapore's Minister of State for Community Development and Sports, Chan Soo Sen, stressed housing options for older people. One example of that was a studio apartment scheme, with apartments equipped with elder-friendly features and which allowed senior citizens to sell their bigger dwellings, thereby enhancing their cash assets. His Government had also implemented a number of housing projects to encourage married couples to stay close to their parents or grandparents.

The representative of Malta raised the ethical issues of the old age problem, which include the concepts of autonomy, respect, dignity, solidarity and social cohesion. He said older people, often perceived as consumers of services, were also morally obliged to contribute towards the common good of humankind by productively using their talents and sharing their life experiences. He proposed that the World Assembly request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to establish an international expert task force to prepare a comprehensive report on the moral questions concerning the process of ageing.

Noting his personal experience that younger people were often ill-prepared for old age, Nigeria's representative suggested that youth should be involved in the discussion on ageing so that they could better prepare for and appreciate the challenges and possible problems of old age. He proposed inclusion of a provision in that regard in the Plan of Action.

He said it was sad to observe that caring older persons by the family could no longer be taken for granted as a result of the economic downturn, due to several external and domestic factors such as structural adjustment policies, heavy external debt servicing and the effects of globalization. He stressed that the Plan of Action must address them.

Stressing the impact the HIV/AIDS pandemic had on most African countries, particularly south of the Sahara, the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said the tragedy had exacerbated the vulnerabilities of older populations as they had been increasingly forced to care for grandchildren, orphaned by the disease. Most disturbing in all this was that for most African societies, the family was still the basic social unit that bound, supported and educated communities. Yet, more than ever before, many African families were living in absolute poverty. This meant that older persons were living in insecure, unhealthy and difficult circumstances. It was incumbent on the Assembly to identify ways and means to support and strengthen the family.

Ministers from Mauritania, Cape Verde, Pakistan and Kenya also spoke, as did representatives of Belize, Jamaica, Turkey and Bhutan.

Statements were also made by representatives of the Latin American Parliament and the non-governmental organizations Federation International des Associations de Personnes Agées and International Federation for Family Development.

The Second World Assembly on Ageing will meet again at 3 p.m. to continue its general exchange of views.

Statements

BABA OULD SIDI, Minister for Civil Service, Labour, Youth and Sports of Mauritania: Since the first Assembly on Ageing it is encouraging to note that significant progress had been made in establishing national infrastructures on ageing. National programmes on health, housing and income security for the elderly have led to improvement in the well-being of older people.

Mankind is ageing and the older population is growing. Policies in the area of ageing must be revised and adjusted, taking into account the new demographics and socio-economic factors of today. We must all be fully aware of the implications for the role of older persons in society, in particular in a world characterized by globalization, immigration and epidemics such as HIV. Aware of the positive contributions older persons can play in social development, the Government of Mauritania has established policies regarding health, the fight against poverty and illiteracy.

As these policies are in line with the goals and recommendations of the Millennium Assembly and the international conferences of the 1990s, the community of donors and financial institutions must support them through opening the markets of developed countries to products from developing countries, increasing official development assistance (ODA) and easing the consequences of upheavals in international financial markets.

DARIO DANTAS DOS REIS, Minister of Health for Cape Verde: Ageing is a biological reality and considering the huge influence the phenomenon of rapid population ageing will have on our lives in the near future, we feel it is essential to work to identify its medium and long-term consequences. It will be particularly important to explore the consequences in a world environment characterized by rapid urbanization. It is our strong belief that for the past 20 years, the Vienna Declaration has been a major tool for countries to create national programmes and to amend their constitutions with the aim of enhancing the lives of their ageing populations. However, recent demographic, economic and technological changes underline the need to build on those efforts and to adopt a new Plan of Action.

The promotion and protection of fundamental human rights, including the right to development, is central to the notion of creating a society for all. It is also important to recognize the need for an effective and comprehensive inter-generational dialogue. We are entering an unprecedented period of history, where, in the near future, persons over 60 years old will outnumber those 15 and younger.

Cape Verde is a very small and insular country, comprised of 10 islands. It is a poor country, deprived of natural resources. As a result, we face enormous challenges in our attempts to achieve sustainable development. Despite our best efforts, one third of our nation lives in poverty. One of the main goals of our Government is to lead our nation to development. The number of older people in our society is increasing, though the rate is somewhat slower than that of persons between the ages of 15 and 60. In Cape Verde, 6 per cent of the population is over 60 and both civil society and State agencies provide programmes for the small percentage of older person who are excluded from the retirement system. Still, as the population grows older, we realize that social security issues, the attendant increases in health-care costs and improving inter-generational relationships will prove to be major challenges because of our economic realities.

AHSAN AHMED, Minister for Health and Population Welfare of the Government of Sindh, Pakistan: Issues such as income security, housing and medical care for older persons have assumed increasing importance in Pakistan. Great strides in investigative and curative techniques, improved health coverage in the public sector, effective poverty alleviation schemes and media awareness have helped improved life expectancy, which could rise from 60 to 70 years over the next 10 years in Pakistan.

Programs addressing ageing in our country include the National Senior Citizen Task Force, which is responsible for analysing the needs of older persons and for drafting a comprehensive national policy of ageing, in line with national and international commitments. It has been asked to propose a mechanism for implementing all inter-sectorial activities related to older persons by June.

Developing countries have been plunged into difficulties because of globalization and worldwide economic recession. The increase in debt servicing, withdrawal of subsidies on essential commodities and continuing denial of market access to exports have negatively affected the overall economic and social conditions in developing countries. Vulnerable groups, especially the elderly, have been affected the most severely. Thus, most countries have not attained targets made under the International Plan of Action for the older population, which was adopted in 1982 in Vienna.

This is the opportune time for developing and developed nations to promote the interests of older persons. Our prime consideration should be to advocate respect for their dignity, equality and non-discrimination, and to promote violation-free societies, better health care and the alleviation of poverty. Pakistan views the Second World Assembly on Ageing as an opportunity to assess the progress made since 1982 in achieving desired goals, and to identify the strategies and actions which need to be redesigned in supporting global initiatives and commitments of ageing.

JEAN CLAUDE DESGRANGES, Chef de Cabinet of the President of Haiti: A silent revolution has been taking place; a spectacular increase in life expectancy at a time when antibiotics, together with a rise in living standards and increased hygiene, has led to a significant drop in infant mortality. Two decades have elapsed since the First World Assembly on Ageing and the adoption of the first International Plan of Action. Today, we unanimously recognize that the results are not satisfactory. Hence the importance of this Assembly, so that, together with international organizations and civil society, we can achieve more concrete and effective results for the next decade.

With concern for the respect of human rights of older persons, Haiti has made efforts to modernize institutions in order to provide services to this part of the population. Several State institutions in the social sector are contributing to improvement of the living conditions of older persons. The Office of National Insurance of the Elderly has been established to provide an old-age pension to qualified people over the age of 55. The Government believes in the need to guarantee older persons a safe and adequate framework for their existence.

Illiteracy is a major obstacle to a flourishing life in the golden years and is therefore of great importance to Haiti. Last year, the Government launched a campaign to halve the rate of illiteracy by 2004. We are proud to announce that a considerable amount of older persons, who never dreamed they would do so, have benefited from the ability to read. To that end, thousands of young students have dedicated themselves to that civic and patriotic task, a true example of inter-generational solidarity. The State is obliged to provide to all citizens appropriate means to guarantee their health. Abuse of older persons is also addressed. Haiti, despite fragile economic means, is continuing actions to fill the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots' by providing employment and health care. Such programs are impossible without sufficient resources. We call therefore on the international community, on all members of this Assembly, to recognize that the economic sanctions imposed on Haiti can only destroy its already fragile socio-economic infrastructure.

MASAHIKO OTSUBO, Vice-Minister for Special Missions, Cabinet Office of Japan: I would first like to emphasize the importance of promoting social participation by older persons through work and volunteer activities. Such activities are very valuable, in terms of both supporting the dignity and independence of older persons, as well as enhancing the vitality of society overall. Older persons in Japan have retained a strong motivation for work. Approximately 50 per cent of all people in their sixties are working. Given that, we are making great efforts to create a future society in which all persons can work, regardless of age.

The second issue I would like to touch on is inter-generational solidarity. Our efforts to build a society for all ages are predicated on promoting solidarity between the generations. In Japan, the ratio of persons 60 and over living with their families has dropped from 47 to 24 per cent over the last 20 years. A growing number of older couples are now living alone. With that in mind, we are working towards the promotion and enhancement of generational solidarity through various types of support and family structures. The rapid ageing of our population is beginning to have a major impact on the generational balance that has heretofore stabilized Japan's social security schemes, such as pension funds and health insurance plans. Thus, we face a serious challenge as we work to ensure the inter-generational fairness and sustainability of our social security systems.

Finally, as life expectancies have increased, overall care for older persons has become a major issue for us. Responding to this phenomenon, we have launched a new long-term care insurance system which ensures services to older persons requiring care. We are also endeavouring to create a barrier-free living environment for all members of our society, which will enable older persons to improve the quality of their lives and promote participation in social activities. Because Japan has one of the world's longest life expectancies, our number of older persons has increased sharply over the last 20 years. In the very near future, Japan will become the world's most advanced aged society. In light of that, we have enacted the Basic Law on Measures for the Aged Society.

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