1,500 older people in the Philippines marched to Parliament to demand social pensions
Today is the UN International Day of Older People. Around the world, older people are uniting for HelpAge International’s Age Demands Action campaign.
This year, 36 countries across four continents are taking part. Delegations of older people will meet with their national governments to demand recognition and support of older people’s vital contribution to society.
They will call for action to deliver improvements to ageing policies in their countries, including better access to healthcare, pensions, and income-generating activities.
Global action
Around the world, older people will be making their voices heard.
- In Ghana, a delegation of older people will meet with President John Kufuor, to call for better access to healthcare.
- In Nepal, older people will present a petition to the Constitutional Assembly to demand the secured rights of older people.
- In the refugee camps of West Darfur, older people will be giving speeches and taking part in celebrations. They will also meet with UN agencies and NGOs to raise awareness of older people’s issues.
Commitments for change
Some events have already taken place.
- In the Philippines, 1,500 older people marched to Congress on Tuesday to demand the passing of a bill to extend social pensions.
- In Kenya, 200 older people marched in the streets of Nairobi and met with ministers to call for greater support in caring for the sick and those orphaned by HIV and AIDS.
- In Indonesia, older people have secured government commitments to develop social pensions and set up activity centres for older people.
Many more activities are still to come in this week of global action.
Henry Matthews, Campaigns Coordinator at HelpAge International, says: “This year’s Age Demands Action has been a fantastic success! Even more countries are taking part than last year, and the voice of older people is becoming louder and harder to ignore.
“Some real commitments for change have already been secured, and we expect more over the coming days. Our hope is that both governments and the international community are finally waking up to the vital role of older people, and will start supporting them in order to realise the massive potential they possess.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, has echoed Age Demands Action's message in his message on the International Day of Older Persons in which he said:
"...much more needs to be done at the national level to support older persons, promote their income security and social protection, and ensure quality health care as well as the provision of long-term care services.
"To make this possible, national ageing-specific policies must be improved substantially and the concerns of older persons mainstreamed into a wider policy framework."
Critical role
Older people are among the poorest and most vulnerable groups in many societies, with over 100 million worldwide living on less than US$1 a day.
Their critical role as carers for those affected by HIV and AIDS and workers feeding extended families is both undervalued and unsupported. Age Demands Action is calling for change.
Globally, HelpAge International is calling on the international community to include older people in three key areas of the international development agenda: HIV and AIDS, the Millennium Development Goals and human rights.
Sign our global petition
Age Demands Action 2008 is supported by Archbishop Desmond, Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, South African poet, playwright and author Gcina Mhlophe, and Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa and Director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Add your support by signing the Age Demands Action pledge
