Role of older people, fighting poverty and support for families among themes stressed at Ageing Assembly, Madrid

By: United Nations
April 8, 2002

Issues of Ageing Must Be in Mainstream of Global Agenda, Says ECOSOC President

"It would be good if everybody could see older people as the bridge to our past and our future", Virgilia Matabela, Minister for Women's Affairs and Social Action of Mozambique, told the Second World Assembly on Ageing this afternoon, as it continued its general debate. They have built the nations we are so proud of today.

"We recognize that our future can only shine if we reconcile our dreams with the dreams of our parents and grandparents", she continued. There was a need to capitalize on the experiences of older people which were gathered along the way of many years of hardship.

Echoing those sentiments, South Africa's Minister of Social Development, Zola Skweyiya, said the great leaders in the struggle for democracy, such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and the late Oliver Tambo, epitomized the courage and contribution older persons had made to freedom, democracy and human rights in his country. However, the legacy of apartheid had manifested itself in severe poverty and social exclusion, especially for older persons.

In highlighting the importance of the fight against poverty in alleviating the situation of older persons, the Minister reflected the concerns of many of this afternoon's speakers. Another key challenge faced was abuse and violence against older persons and their vulnerability to financial exploitation. HIV/AIDS had social and economic consequences for many older persons. Older women in particular had to care for their dying children and orphaned grandchildren. They suffered from financial hardship and social isolation and risked their health.

Masoud Pezeshkian, Minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran, noted that, while revising health-related disciplines to encompass geriatrics and making all required services accessible in the health network, clinical-based evidence, as well as Iran's rich cultural background, indicated that the best place for the elderly to receive managed care would be within the family, another point emphasized by many speakers.

Speakers also addressed issues of social security and older people in the working place. Roberto Maroni, Minister of Welfare of Italy, said to prevent population ageing from becoming an economic and social problem, adequate, timely and dynamic measures should be implemented at international, national and local levels. The increase in the older population tended to lead to an increase in pension and health costs. If active measures for employment and social protection were not implemented, the sustainability of public finances could be severely affected.

The ageing of the population forced consideration of possibly extending active life beyond the current average retirement age, he said. The sustainability of social security systems was strictly linked to the capacity of countries to increase the overall level of employment. Just as important were instruments that encourage the market to offer older people opportunities to work.

The President of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, Ivan Simonovic (Croatia), said the Council was a coordinating body, establishing links with and among functional commissions on cross-cutting issues in the economic and social field. The follow-up process of the World Assembly would provide an opportunity for the Council to become a key global platform to enhance policy coherence in the area of ageing among global partners. This Assembly was a unique opportunity for setting practical targets and agreeing upon concrete action for implementation.

ECOSOC's Commission on Population and Development had been examining and assessing the trends, determinants and consequences of population ageing. A major task of the Commission was to monitor, review and assess the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development at the national, regional and international level. In that context, he emphasized the importance of mainstreaming the subject of ageing in the global agenda.

Other speakers this afternoon were: Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare of El Salvador, Jose Francisco Lopez Bertran; Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine, Ivan Sakhan; Minister of Employment, of Professional Training, Social Development and Solidarity of Morocco, Abass El Fassi; State Secretary of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands, Margo Vliegenthart; First Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Development of the Russian Federation, Karevola, G.N.; Secretary-General for Welfare, Ministry of Health and Welfare of Greece, Maria Menoudakou-Beldekou; and Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Social Welfare of Dominican Republic. The representatives of the Bahamas and France spoke as well, as did the observer of the Holy See.

Also addressing the World Assembly were: Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund; Anna Diamantopoulou, Commissioner responsible for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission; and the President of the International Federation of Ageing, a non-governmental organization.

The Assembly will continue its general debate at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 9 April.

Statements

JOSE FRANCISCO LOPEZ BETRAN, Minister for Public Health and Social Welfare of El Salvador: In El Salvador, the phenomenon of ageing is drawing the attention of economists, social workers and many others. Almost imperceptibly there is a change occurring in the age structure, entailing an increase of the elderly. That has a great impact for the structures of inter-generational living. There are many organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are working to help the elderly. Their action has provided a source for information on economic, social and health programmes. We hope that a red light will be lit to insure that the plans of action will be improved and to ensure that effective action can be taken.

El Salvador has more than 6 million inhabitants and is densely populated. The elderly live mainly in the cities. The elderly have problems of health as well. Social security is provided for 20 per cent of them. The Senate has just adopted a bill for the elderly, establishing a National Council to set up programmes for the elderly. The health of the elderly is being addressed by 28 health centers, among other things. Some of the priority areas are nutrition and mental help. There are also basic services promoting the prevention of chronic diseases, and dental care, among other things.

Among achievements attained so far, we have a national plan for the elderly, and we have been the venue for a seminar on health promotion for the elderly. We have also addressed the question of technical cooperation in the region.

ROBERTO MARONI, Minister of Labour and Social Policies of Italy: To prevent population ageing from becoming an economic and social problem, adequate, timely and dynamic measures should be implemented at international, national and local levels. The increase in the older population tends to lead to an increase in pension and health costs. If active measures for employment and social protection are not implemented, the sustainability of public finances could be severely affected. The health sector also may be affected by the demographic changes. The ageing of the population forces us to consider the possibility of extending active life beyond the current average retirement age. The sustainability of social security systems is strictly linked to the capacity of our countries to fully mobilize the potential of our societies and -- above all -- to increase the overall level of employment. Just as important are instruments, which can encourage the market to offer older people opportunities to work.

The strategy adopted in Italy concerning ageing as a social problem involves taking advantage of the opportunities presented by ageing, dealing with the problems associated with it and promoting a society suitable for all ages. One of the outcomes of the International Year of Older Persons was the approval of welfare reform aimed at introducing integrated services at all levels. Part of this strategy is the first national social plan for 2001-2003, which aims to ensure a positive vision of old people by acknowledging that the ageing process differs depending on the cultural and social context in which it occurs. The Italian Government is committed to ensuring that all causes of discrimination are abolished, providing women with means of self-support and independence in later years. The country's social policies focus on encouraging the permanence of older people in the family through improvement of all services and projects to support families.

Ensuring that older people can continue to lead their habitual lifestyles is part of the cultural choice of a community. Local authorities are considered the real provider of social and welfare services. Caring for sick old people at home leads to a substantial change in perspective, moving from a model where the sick person revolves around health-care structures to a model in which providers focus on the sick person. The new Italian health programme places renewed focus on preventive strategies, aiming to reduce the burden of the most common medical conditions. It emphasizes modifications to behaviour and lifestyle, including changes in eating habits, physical activity and alcohol consumption. At the community level, integration between health and social services should be the key word.

IVAN SAKHAN, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine: Statistics show that Ukraine is now home to a greater number of elderly persons that almost any other country in the region. The ageing of the population is typified by features which are characteristic of the phenomenon in other neighouring countries, namely imbalances in birth and death rates. Birth levels were insufficient to replace older generations with new ones. Elderly persons make up one fifth of the population. The ageing of the population has been accompanied by a growth in the numbers of the elderly living alone. It is necessary to ensure that those persons are not marginalized and that they continue to receive proper health care and other social or medical assistance.

Various efforts are under way to shore up the country's social health care system. The programmes that are currently under way or under consideration generally focus on improving the quality of life for our elderly and promoting their participation at all levels. According to our estimates, the ageing of our population will continue. The phenomenon will be felt most immediately by the national pension system and by our health care networks. Still, we have the opportunity to reform. We feel we will soon have the opportunity to increase our workforce significantly due to the large number of workers that are expected to flood the country within the next few years. We also will promote compulsory and voluntary savings schemes. We are aware that all our efforts should make it possible to reduce and later eliminate poverty. Increasing the birth rate, and balancing birth and death rates, will also be important. We are committed to creating appropriate programmes which will bring about positive results in the future.

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, Minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran: Population ageing is a global phenomenon that has or will affect every community; a largely irreversible trend that is the result of the demographic transition from high to low levels of fertility and mortality. The number of individuals aged over 60 is projected to grow to almost 2 billion by 2050, of whom 54 per cent live in Asia.

At present, 4 million people over 60 years of age live in Iran, of which 57 per cent are urban dwellers. Women, with a lower literacy rate and higher financial dependence, comprise almost half of this number. Although the challenge of ageing has recently emerged, we have long-established traditions based on Islamic teachings. The teachings are at the top of the Government's agenda to provide for the health and social needs of the older age group. The vitality of our societies depends on active participation by older persons. Thus it is imperative that we support economic and social conditions that allow people of all ages to remain integrated in society.

We are strongly convinced that the objective of social protection schemes is to provide access to health services and income security, notwithstanding that mental and emotional stability and security are as important, particularly for women. We are taking actions to ensure a minimum income to old individuals. We have also endeavoured to include comprehensive programmes for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and metal health problems into our primary health care system. Yet, promotion of a healthy lifestyle remains the cornerstone of all programmes. While we are revising our health-related disciplines to encompass geriatrics and make all required services accessible in the health network, clinical-based evidence as well as our rich cultural background, indicates that the best place for the elderly to receive managed care would be within the family.

ZOLA SKWEYIYA, Minister of Social Development of South Africa: When the first World Assembly gathered 20 years ago, our people were engaged in a bitter struggle against apartheid. We have come a long way since then. South Africa now has a Constitution to promote equality and freedom for all, including older citizens. We are fortunate that our struggle for democracy has produced great leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and the late Oliver Tambo. They epitomize the courage and contribution older persons have made to freedom, democracy and human rights in South Africa.

However, the legacy of apartheid is still with us, manifesting itself in severe poverty and social exclusion, especially for older persons. The majority of the 3 million people over 60 are poor. The fight against poverty is therefore the top priority of the Government. Our programme of social grants to older persons is central to alleviating poverty among older persons. As the programme does not meet the needs, we have put in place a number of measures to improve the conditions of older persons, including income-generation projects, access to water, a housing subsidy scheme, and free primary health care.

A key challenge we face is abuse and violence against older persons. The social grants are often the sole source or income for three-generation households, making older persons vulnerable to financial exploitation. The Government established a Committee of Inquiry into abuse of older persons, and its recommendations are being implemented. HIV/AIDS has social and economic consequences for many older persons, especially those living in poor rural communities. Older women in particular have to care for their dying children and orphaned grandchildren. They suffer from financial hardship and social isolation and risk their health. The Government has introduced home- and community-based care for families and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

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