New Book Based on UN Confab Hails Intergenerational Solidarity

Intergenerational Solidarity: Strengthening Economic and Social Ties" (Palgrave Macmillan)is now availableThe book emerged from a 2007 Expert Group Meeting of the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Social Policy and Development (in which Generations United participated). 

A snapshot review: "Based on solid arguments and rigorous analysis, this book is a splendid example of the high value that solidarity among generations carries  for everyone in society, making it a truly shared society, a society for all." -Wim Kok, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

U.N. Not Fully Funded To Meet Needs In Haiti, Says Humanitarian Chief; Media Examines Care For Country's Elderly

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(Medical News Today) The U.N. plans to emphasize "the urgent need for more money at a donors conference on Haiti in New York later this month, which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary [Rodham] Clinton will attend," Reuters reports (Davies, 3/11).

In related news, IRIN and the New York Times examine efforts to care for Haiti's aged:

"Elderly people need more attention in the response to January's earthquake in Haiti and more appreciation of the role they can play in the relief effort, say aid workers. ... Not all elderly people affected by the earthquake were in dire need, aid workers and camp residents pointed out. Many are active and simply need to be supported with healthcare, food and shelter so as not to slide into vulnerability," IRIN writes (3/12).

"A preliminary census released last month by an aid organization found that roughly 7 percent, or about 84,000, of the estimated 1.2 million Haitians who had been displaced by the earthquake are over 60 years old. The United Nations also released a report last month stating that despite the privation facing younger women and children in Haiti since the earthquake, it is the elderly who are now by far the most at risk. Older people have been overlooked in relief efforts because they are more frail, less mobile and less vocal in their demands for food and water, United Nations officials explained," the New York Times writes (Urbina, 3/11).
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• U.N. chief urges donors not to forget Haiti (cnn.com)
• UN boss reassures Haiti victims (news.bbc.co.uk)

Strengthening Older People’s Rights: Towards a UN Convention

This publication was produced by a coalition of aging organizations internationally to strengthen understanding and awareness of the need for a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. It aims to provide the arguments and tools for engaging stakeholders across the globe in debate about older people’s rights and the role of a convention.

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UN: World Population Ageing 2009 Report

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The Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations has long experience in the analysis of population ageing. In addition to preparing national estimates and projections of older populations, the Population Division has contributed to the analysis of the determinants and consequences of population ageing. The Population Division is the organizational unit of the Secretariat charged with monitoring progress towards the achievement of the goals set out in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994. The Programme of Action enunciated objectives and recommended actions concerning population ageing and older persons (United Nations, 1995).

The Population Division has also organized expert meetings on various aspects of population ageing. In 1997, for example, the Division convened a meeting on below-replacement fertility (United Nations,2000); in 2000, two meetings on population ageing were organized: the first on the living arrangements of older persons (United Nations, 2001), and the second on policy responses to population ageing and population decline (United Nations, 2004). More recently, in 2005, the Population Division organized an expert group meeting on the social and economic implications of changing population age structures (United Nations, 2007a).

In 1982, the United Nations adopted the International Plan of Action on Ageing at the first World Assembly on Ageing (United Nations, 1982). Then, in 1999 in its resolution 54/262, the General Assembly decided to convene the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002. The Second World Assembly adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, marking a turning point in how the world addresses the key challenge of building a society for all ages. The Plan focuses on three priority areas: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments.

This new edition of World Population Ageing is the third in a series. The first report was released in 2002 in conjunction with the Second World Assembly on Ageing. The present report, which updates the 2007 edition, provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries. This new edition includes new features on ageing in rural and urban areas, the coverage of pension systems and the impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis on pension systems. The report is intended to provide a solid demographic foundation for the follow-up activities of the Second World Assembly on Ageing.

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