UN Secretary- General, 
Opening Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid, Urges Plan of Action to build a Society for all ages

By: United Nations
April 8, 2002

'Group of 77' and China Call for New Body Devoted to Issues of Ageing

"As more people are better educated, live longer and stay healthy longer, older persons can and do make greater contributions to society than ever before". United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this morning at the opening of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, which is being held in Madrid from 8 to 12 April.

Urging world leaders to engage all relevant actors in effective coalitions to face the challenges of the world's rapidly ageing populations, he described the unprecedented demographic transformation all over the world. In less than 50 years -- for the first time in history -- the world would contain more people over 60 than under 15, he said, with developing countries facing the greatest increase in the number of older persons.

Ageing was definitely no longer just a "first world issue", he stressed. What had been a footnote in the twentieth century was on its way to becoming a dominant theme in the twenty-first. To face the multiplying challenges as the older population grew larger, it was necessary to devise a new plan of action on ageing, adapted to the realities of the twenty-first century. The key was to build a society for all.

The Secretary-General stressed that older people are not a group apart. "We all grow old one day - if we have that luck", he said. He had to confess that he had turned 64 today, he said in conclusion. "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" questioned the Beatles' song, to which, he trusted, the answer was yes: older people would be needed and provided for in the twenty-first century.

"We need to collectively generate a cultural change … to create 'societies of all ages', in which neither older people, nor any other person, on account of sex, health, race or religion, feels excluded", the President of the Government of Spain, a newly elected President of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Jose Maria Aznar, said. Countries must increasingly promote "active" ageing through policies of preventive medicine, continued learning and a flexible work schedule. A country that fails to offer opportunities for its older people to actively participate is a country missing opportunities.

The President of the General Assembly, Han Seung-soo (Republic of Korea) said that while many countries had taken measures in implementation of the International Plan of Action adopted by the First Assembly on Ageing 20 years ago, ageing had not received the attention it deserved from the international community. The task of the Second Assembly was to revise the Plan in order to reflect new global trends. Stressing the importance of the international development targets set at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000, he said that they would not be achieved without mainstreaming the concerns of older persons into development frameworks and poverty eradication strategies.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, Juan Carlos Aparicio Perez, Minister for Labour and Social Affairs of Spain, also underlined the need to include ageing as a core item in the agendas for development, particularly in strategies to fight against poverty, paying special attention to the needs of developing countries and taking into account the outcome of the international conferences of the nineties.

A proposal to create an international body similar to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), devoted to the issues of ageing, was made by Luis Alfonso Davila, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), who said that practical institutions were needed to achieve the development goals of the Millennium Declaration. Ten per cent of the foreign debt of the developing countries and 10 per cent of the military expenditure of the world could be used to finance an international humanitarian fund, he said. It was also important to take care of the special needs of the elderly who found themselves in armed conflicts or under occupation.

Welcoming remarks were made by Infanta Dona Cristina of Spain, Good Will Ambassador to the United Nations Second World Assembly on Ageing.

Other speakers this morning were: Head of Government of the Andorra, Marc Forne-Molne; President of Gabon Omar Bongo; President of Albania Rexhep Meidani; President of Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo; Vice-President of the Sudan, Moses Machar Kacuol; Minister of Manpower Development and Employment of Ghana, Cecilia V.L. Bannerman; Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizen Welfare and Reform Institutions of Mauritius, Samollah Lauthan; Minister of Social Development and National Solidarity of Senegal, Aminata Tall; Director for the National Programme for the Elderly of Guatemala, Alejandra Flores; Secretary of Social Development of Argentina, Silvia Gascon; and Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment of India, Satya Narayan Jatiya.

During the organizational part of the meeting, the Assembly elected 27 Vice-Presidents, with representation aimed at ensuring the representative character of its Main Committee and appointed the members of its Credentials Committee. Also elected this morning was D. Luan Jose Lucas Gimenez, Minister of the Presidency of Spain, as an ex-officio Vice-President from the host country, and Felipe Paolillo of Uruguay as Chairman of the Main Committee.

The Assembly will continue its general debate at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Welcoming Remarks by Her Royal Highness the Infanta Dona Christina

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE INFANTA DONA CRISTINA, Good Will Ambassador to the United Nations Second World Assembly on Ageing: I congratulate the United Nations for the excellent work done on the Assembly. We in Spain feel honoured to host this world event. We are aware that the ageing of the population is a challenge for which we must prepare. Spain wants to show its interest in policies for the integration of the elderly.

We live in a society in which important demographic events are occurring. The elderly should live longer and in better conditions. The elderly are a universal force and have the capability to shape society. Consequently, we must prepare for the new challenge, promoting changes of attitude in the face of the demographic revolution. To achieve a society for all ages, we, the young, have to be aware of the progress achieved by elder generations. We have to ensure that those achievements are relayed to future generations.

Together, we are going to build a positive image of ageing, not only as an extension of life, but to ensure that old age is healthy and fully integrated in society. I hope that all positive initiatives achieved during this Assembly will serve to involve our society in the challenge faced by ageing so that the elderly will benefit from this as soon as possible.

Statement by Secretary-General

KOFI ANNAN, United Nations Secretary-General: In Africa, it is said that when an old man dies, a library vanishes. That proverb may vary among continents, but its meaning is equally true in any culture. Older persons are intermediaries between the past, the present and the future. Their wisdom and experience form a veritable lifeline in society. We meet today to pay tribute to the contribution of older people, and to formulate a strategy to help them lead the safe and dignified lives they deserve. In that sense, this is an Assembly for them.

Twenty years have passed since our predecessors gathered to adopt the first global document to guide policies on ageing. Since then, the world has changed almost beyond recognition. What has not changed is our fundamental objective: building a society fit for all people of all ages. There are vital and pressing reasons to revisit the issue today. The world is undergoing an unprecedented demographic transformation. Between now and 2050, the number of older persons will rise from about 600 million to almost 2 billion. In less than 50 years from now -- for the first time in history -- the world will contain more people over 60 than under 15.

Perhaps the most important increase in the number of older persons will be greatest in developing countries. Over the next 50 years, the older population of the developing world is expected to multiply by four. This is an extraordinary development that bears implications for every community, institution, and individual -- young and old. Ageing is definitely no longer just a "first world issue". What was a footnote in the twentieth century is on its way to becoming a dominant theme in the twenty-first.

Such a revolution will present enormous challenges in a world already transformed by globalization, migration, and economic change. Let me mention just a few challenges we are already facing today. As more and more people move to cities, older persons are losing traditional family support and social networks, and are increasingly at risk of marginalization.

Also, the HIV/AIDS crisis is forcing many older people in developing countries to care for children orphaned by the disease -- of whom there are now more than 13 million worldwide. In many developed countries, the concept of cradle-to-grave security is fast disappearing. The shrinking size of the working population means older people are even more at risk of inadequate pensions and medical attention.

As the older population grows larger, so will these challenges multiply. We need to start preparing for them now. We must devise a new plan of action on ageing, adapted to the realities of the twenty-first century. Let me mention some overriding objectives. We need to recognize that, as more people are better educated, live longer, and stay healthy longer, older persons can and do make greater contributions to society than ever before. By promoting their active participation in society and development, we can ensure that their invaluable gifts and experience are put to good use. Older persons who can work, and want to, should have the opportunity to do so; and all people should have the opportunity to continue learning throughout life.

By creating support networks and enabling environments, we can engage the wider community in strengthening solidarity between generations, and in combating abuse, violence, disrespect and discrimination against older people. By providing adequate and affordable health care, including preventive health measures, we can help older people maintain their independence for as long as possible.

The past 20 years have brought a wealth of new opportunities that should help us achieve those objectives. New international commitments have been reached in the conferences of the 1990s, culminating in the Millennium Development Goals. Taken together, these form a blueprint for improving people's lives. Building better lives for older persons must form an integral part of that agenda. A global revolution has taken place in the use of information technology and the empowerment of civil society.

This enables us to build the partnerships needed to achieve a society for all ages. While governments have the primary responsibility towards their older populations, they need to work through effective coalitions engaging all actors: from non-governmental organizations to the private sector, from international organizations to educators and health professionals, and of course, associations of older people themselves.

We have been given some wonderful opportunities to strengthen those partnerships in connection with this World Assembly on Ageing -- through the parallel NGO forum here in Madrid and the international scientific forum just ended in Valencia. Given the challenges and opportunities before us, I trust you will make every effort to conclude successfully the negotiations on the outcome document of this Assembly. And I hope you will also send a wider message to the world: that older people are not a category apart.

We will all grow old one day -- if we have that privilege, that is. Let us therefore not look at older persons as people separate from ourselves, but as our future selves. And let us recognize that older people are all individuals, with individual needs and strengths, not a group that are all the same because they are old.

Finally, that brings me to a confession I'd like to make: I turned 64 years old today. I therefore feel empowered to quote the Beatles' song and ask, on behalf of all older persons: Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64? I trust the answer is yes, older people will be provided for, and yes, older people will be needed, in the twenty-first century.

Election of President

The Assembly elected by acclamation Jose Maria Aznar, President of the Government of Spain, as President of the Second World Assembly on Ageing.

Statement by President of Conference

JOSE MARIA AZNAR, President of the Government of Spain: The demographic structure of most countries has changed considerably since the last Assembly on ageing in Vienna in 1982, and population ageing has made even more rapid advances than had been expected. In the least developed countries, some symptoms are appearing that allow us to predict a major transformation in their populations. In developed countries, we have already witnessed a rise in the proportion of older people relative to the population as a whole, and older people live increasingly longer.

Population ageing is a complex process with many causes and many different consequences. It is already a fact for many of us, a new and undeniable phenomenon requiring profound changes and resolute responses from all of society's structures and institutions. Institutions in general, and governments in particular, must be realistic and adapt their actions to what people decide freely and responsibly. However, they are still responsible for ensuring, above all through education and social policies, that individual conduct incorporates civic behaviour imbued with a spirit of solidarity.

The challenge facing many countries is that of adapting their societies to this new reality, while anticipating possible negative effects of ageing, and removing obstacles impeding its balanced and harmonious development. We need to collectively generate a cultural change allowing us to create "societies of all ages", in which neither older people, nor any other person, on account of sex, health, race or religion, feels excluded.

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