Press Conference by Co-Chair of NGO Forum 

By : United Nations
April 12, 2002

Today, the Co-Chairperson of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) World Forum on Ageing, Eduardo Rovira, briefed correspondents on the Forum's Declaration, which was presented to the Second World Assembly on Ageing this afternoon in Madrid. The NGO Forum took place from 5 to 9 April and was attended by 3,500 participants from 116 countries.

Mr. Rovira said a key recommendation of the Declaration -- Development and Rights of Older Persons -- was the establishment of a special agency for older persons within the United Nations. However, the Forum had concluded that the proposed agency would be impossible due to financial constraints, and had instead recommended the establishment of a Special Rapporteur on ageing.

"There must be no political will to set up this agency, if the only reason they give for not doing so is financial constraints," said Mr. Rovira. "This is a more politically important issue that just older people. We want to expand the role of the United Nations," he said.

The Declaration stressed that the United Nations should draw up an international convention that focused on eliminating all forms of discrimination against older persons, at political, social and other levels.

Covering other major points in the Declaration, Mr. Rovira said it urged governments not to use pension funds for unrelated economic needs, as well as to coordinate health and social services. Governments should also guarantee the active participation of older persons in local and national debates, and make retirement flexible and progressive.

Joining Mr. Rovira at the briefing were: Danielle Bridel, Chair-person, NGO Committee on Ageing, Conference of NGOs (CONGO), Geneva; Helen Hamlin, Chairperson, NGO Committee on Ageing, CONGO, New York;
Hilda Rosenmeyer, Chairperson, NGO Committee on Ageing, CONGO, Vienna; and Afaf Mahfouz, Focal Point on Ageing, CONGO.

Ms. Hamlin noted that the Forum was concerned about how the World Assembly Plan of Action would be implemented. She hoped that older persons would actively participate in putting it into effect, since it focused on areas affecting them.

Another vital question was where the work of the Forum would go now, said Ms. Mahfouz. The plan was to take the declaration and start work from the grass-roots level up. "Nothing can prevent us from continuing to advocate and implement this declaration," she added.

Asked how much older persons themselves had contributed to the Forum, Mr. Rovira said many had taken part and were free to express their views. The Forum was open and transparent, and every effort was made to reflect all comments in the final document.

Another correspondent asked Mr. Rovira to highlight any concrete proposals in the document. Mr. Rovira said the document mainly focused on policy, but one concrete proposal was certainly the proposed United Nations agency on ageing. Another was to ask that focal points on ageing be instituted in each country.

Informed by a correspondent that delegates had said the proposal for a special agency for older persons lacked a clear vision, Mr. Rovino said the proposal was a "core idea", around which other details would form. The main thing was for society and politicians to raise awareness of ageing, which would ultimately lead to more concrete ideas.