ADA-12: Protecting older people’s rights: your support needed

Protecting the Rights of Older People

10 reasons why we need to act

I am writing to you as an organisation that registered for accreditation to the OEWG on Ageing. I know it was a difficult process and not all applications were successful.

 

HelpAge International would like your support in calling on governments to act now to strengthen the protection of older people’s rights, particularly older women’s and indeed younger generations’ when they are older themselves.

 

We have produced this advocacy tool for the meeting of the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) that is taking place in 21- 24 August in New York.

 

As you know the OEWG provides a unique opportunity and was set up to provide a forum for Member States to look at how existing human rights mechanisms protect older people’s rights and, if found to be inadequate, explore the feasibility of creating new mechanisms.

 

http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/

 

The meeting in August will discuss whether there are gaps in protection of older people’s rights in a number of areas including protection from violence and abuse, access to justice, and autonomy and independence and what can be done to resolve this.

 

Why must we act now?

Our research and experience, and what older women and men tell us, is that the existing human rights framework has completely failed older people and urgently needs to be improved.

 

However, not all Member States are convinced of this and civil society has a critical role to play in making sure the OEWG results in positive action.

 

What would we like you to do?

We would therefore like your organisation to join us by signing up to this call to strengthen legally-binding standards on the rights of older people and the development of a new protection regime. We can then all use the call at the OEWG or with governments in capital cities to both make our case and show the support there is amongst civil society.

 

If you would like to endorse this call for action, please send me, Bridget Sleap, the name of your organisation and its logo by Friday 10^th August on bsleap@helpage.org

 

Older people’s rights — 10 reasons why we need to act 02 08 12