Speakers stress need to reinforce traditional family support for elderly, more Aid in afternoon plenary at Ageing Assembly

Page 2

Back to Page 1

Our policy respects the United Nations principles and has put the country in the forefront of human development. Life expectancy in Qatar is about 72 years. A committee for older persons has been set up in the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. Qatar is a pioneer in fulfilling the security of ageing by sponsoring the older person within the family environment with the financial and spiritual support it needs.

We believe that programmes cannot be successful unless they are supported by the values and traditions of the nation. Cultural background, behaviour, values and national motivation should be taken into account. We also believe that the family is the foundation of society. We call, therefore, for the protection of the family and for enhancing the relationship of the family within the mutual values of religion. We also call for international legal procedures within the framework of the United Nations to protect the family.

KEVIN ANDREWS, Minister for Ageing of Australia: In common with many nations, we are on the threshold of a major population change. From this year, the post-second World War baby-boom generation will begin to enter retirement. By 2020, they will become the older aged generation -- the so-called "fourth age". At the same time, our fertility rate has fallen below replacement levels.

Australia faces a series of challenges, including: a massive reduction in the number of new entrants to the workforce over the next two decades; a substantial increase in the number of people needing aged care; increasing pressure on careers and families, especially those with both dependent children and aged parents; and an ongoing need to encourage personal savings so that people who live longer will have adequate retirement income.

The Australian Government launched a National Strategy for an Ageing Australia this year. It seeks to build on reforms of the past decade, especially in health and aged care, and to lay out a framework for developing future policies and programmes. The Strategy is built around the four themes of independence and self-provision, attitude, lifestyle and community support, healthy ageing and world-class care. It recognizes that all Australians, regardless of age, should have access to appropriate employment, training, education, housing, transport, cultural and recreational opportunities and care services. This year, Australia will outline another initiative directed at ageing -- the Mature Age Employment Strategy -- and introduce age discrimination legislation. We are expanding our community age care programme and developing extended nursing care in the home.

ANDREAS MOUSHOUTTAS, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance of Cyprus: For the first time in the history of humankind, people live longer and healthier lives. In many countries of the world, it is now possible to be part of a four-generation family. Ageing requires that we rethink our institutions, policies, legislation and practices in order to make demographic changes work positively for the labour force, social protection and society as a whole.

Although population ageing is not alarming in Cyprus, it is becoming visible. The well-being and care of older people has been a long-standing objective of the Government of Cyprus. We are firmly committed to safeguarding the right of older people to a decent standard of living, promoting their independence, and strengthening their family and community ties. Also important are solidarity between generations and participation of older people in the labour market. The Government's actions include provision of subsidies to promote self-employment by older people, housing schemes and improvement of health-care services. The Government has been working for many years in partnership with communities and voluntary organizations.

The wide diversity in the situation of older people, between and within countries, requires a variety of policy responses. Underpinning all policies, however, should be the idea that ageing is a lifelong process, which does not pertain exclusively to older persons. It is crucial to reject the prevailing perceptions of older people as a frail homogeneous group that is more needy and dependent than others. We must cultivate a positive view of old age that promotes social inclusion. We should also learn to recognize the needs, capabilities and worth of each individual, regardless of chronological age. If we achieve this, we will fulfil the International Plan's call for people to be whatever they want, whatever their age.

I will close with the words of Plato, the great Greek philosopher: "It gives me great pleasure to converse with the aged. They have been over the road that all of us must travel, and know where it is rough and difficult and where it is level and easy."

CECILIA BLONDET, Minister for the Advancement of Women and Social Development of Peru: In Peru, a decade of autocratic government and a lack of democracy has plunged our country into crisis. Since the country began democratic reforms last year, however, poverty has occupied a central place on the agenda. Regrettably, that condition affects the lives of some 53 per cent of all Peruvians. We think that resolving the issues of ageing lies in policies to eradicate poverty -- improving life for all members of society without distinction. Poverty is the great enemy and the challenge is to improve the standard of living for all. We are anxious to begin changes in our country that will transform the future.

Peruvian society is mainly young, but we are seeing a process of ageing which is giving rise to new social demands. Some 33.8 per cent of the population is currently below 15 years of age, 60 per cent is between 15 and 59 and 7.2 per cent is 60 years or more. According to official projections, the population above 60 will reach 12.6 per cent by the year 2025.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to afford health care for all older people, which has mainly affected women and older persons in rural areas. One of the main focuses of the Government's approach is to seek social equity, with a national plan of action for the elderly. Families would be responsible for the overall care of the elderly, according to the plan, which would promote direct participation.

PAULETTE GUINCHARD-KUNSTLER, Secretary of State for Senior Citizens of France: Ageing is not a burden for those who age, as long as all the rights of senior citizens are respected. It is not a burden for society, but rather a chance for durable and harmonious development, as long as we know how to make the best use of the skills of ageing persons. We must take care of the conditions that permit access to health systems and quality care. Longevity is not an end in itself if one ages poorly. Prolonging life must not lead to two-speed ageing: one group having access to costly medicines and treatments and who age well because they are rich, and the other group who suffer ageing by living badly for a longer period.

It is necessary to reaffirm the essential solidarity between generations and prevent an "age war". Solidarity among generations necessarily has an economic and financial component. It is also a culture that must inspire public policy, the behaviour of social partners and the behaviour of all citizens. To promote solidarity among generations, we must value that treasure held by every human being: his own history, the sum of experiences and memories that he wants to share, to transmit. It is this transmission that is the strongest link between the youngest and the oldest people. We must also foster the movement which is beginning to arise among senior citizens, namely making themselves available to others.

We must change our outlook on old age and ageing. In most societies, a man's worth has been established solely on the basis of his productive capacity, and as soon as the age for professional work has passed, that worth gives way to a social vacuum. We must break away from this absurd and highly negative image of human existence. We must therefore prevent age from becoming a factor for exclusion from the productive system. It is my conviction that the recommendations that appear at the end of the Plan of Action regarding the importance of creating national ageing committees in every country, with representatives from civil society, are a very important lever for building a society for all ages.

LEE KYEONG-HO, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea: Today's elderly are those who have dedicated their lives to the development of their societies and countries. Their generation made great sacrifices to causes far beyond their own personal welfare. We owe to them effective policies that will assist them in leading independent lives, allow them to find fulfillment, continue active participation in society and maintain human dignity. For those who need help, adequate protection should be provided.

The Republic of Korea is an ageing society. Accordingly, my Government has been developing and implementing a number of policies for the elderly, designed to enhance their quality of life. The basic direction has been to provide for healthy and economically stable lives to the elderly through strengthening of the necessary infrastructures, which can support the care-giving role of the family. Among the national milestones has been the 1981 Older Persons' Welfare Act and celebration of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999.

Medical assistance to the elderly is incorporated into the country's health insurance system. The elderly living in poverty are given subsidies for free medical care. A national pension system has been in place since 1988. The Government has steadily expanded public facilities to enable older persons to enjoy their lives, such as community centres for senior citizens. A noticeable recent trend refers to various initiatives of older persons themselves, including clubs and support groups for volunteer activities, as well as income-generation programmes. The Government has also concentrated on expanding nursing homes for the aged with dementia or paralysis and on providing home care for older people.

PETRE CIOTLOS, Secretary of State, Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity of Romania: In order to ensure security and a decent living for the older population, as well as proper health services, Romania has undertaken a complex reform of its social insurance system. The next step will be to complete a legislative and institutional framework so that a pension system can be created.

The Government aims to adopt and implement measures to cover inflation and its affect on pensions, which will also eliminate inequities between pension levels. A multi-pillar system to involve both the public and private sectors is almost drawn up, and should be adopted by the end of 2002. This system will mean higher pension levels than in a single pillar system, and make long-term financial sustainability and equal treatment for all contributors possible.

Romania's main goals at the national level in the field of social assistance for older persons include: developing a social assistance system to provide social services for vulnerable groups; encouraging efforts to reorganize and rehabilitate elderly care institutions; provide institutional support to develop and diversify social services for vulnerable groups; and organizing community services to deal with needs identified at the local level.

INGJERD SCHOU, Minister for Social Affairs of Norway: The remarkable increase in longevity is a consequence of progress in medicine and health services and better economic and social conditions. But we still have to strive for better health and well-being for older persons. We have to fight against HIV/AIDS. Development is therefore a major task. I hope that the results of the Monterrey summit and this Assembly will contribute to that process.

We have to change the images of ageing. There is a vicious circle here. Young and middle-aged persons often have a false picture of frail elderly people, and expect them to retire from work. But most people who reach the present pension age in Western societies are far from frail. They ought to be expected to lead active social and political lives and to continue to be working beyond retirement age. On the other hand, many old people also develop disabilities such as decreased mobility, eyesight and hearing. It is of the utmost importance that the Plan of Action give sound advice on these matters. Insufficient attention has been paid to the need for designing a society for all.

I would like to say a few words on this Assembly's Political Declaration. We should adopt a political declaration that gives guidelines for future work on the most important questions: economic and social development as a prerequisite for a healthy and active old age; a society for all ages must be accessible for persons with disabilities; and old people should be treated as a resource, not as a burden for society.

HELENE B. RAJAONARIVELO (Madagascar): The question of ageing should occupy a more prominent place among other world issues. Twenty years have passed since the Vienna Assembly, and today, the international community has come together to re-examine the question and adopt a revised Plan of Action, which needs to be adapted to the new realities, taking into account the needs of the developing world. We must -- as an imperative -- formulate global policies to tackle the problem of the ageing of the world population, which has become a phenomenon of the twenty-first century.

My country is encountering the situation of ageing, and the Government is beginning to take measures to guarantee a better quality of life for the elderly. My delegation welcomes several regional meetings on the issue of ageing, including the one organized by the Organization of African Unit (OAU) in Nairobi in December 2001. Its recommendations focus on the need to strengthen the coordination of actions and address the issues of poverty alleviation, social security and protection, as well as older people's health, access to housing, reintegration into the family and care for older people. Among other important issues are employment security and maintenance of income.

The problem of isolation does not yet arise for the majority of older people in my country, because they are integrated in their communities. However, with increasing breakdown of the family, a growing number of the elderly are becoming a burden to their families. It is important to benefit from their experience and develop mechanisms in line with national cultures and values. We are counting on international cooperation and increased resources to strengthen the role of the family and reinstate the traditional status of elder people. As for the high costs of health care, they should be carried first and foremost by the aged themselves, with help from their families and neighbours. One of the possibilities involves creation of communal solidarity funds for ageing people. The duty of the State would then be to promote and support those initial efforts.

Next Page

Back to Page 1