The United Nations meeting in Geneva this week heard calls for an end to ageism and better protection against hidden abuses as negotiations began on a treaty to strengthen the rights of older people.
Background
The week of talks, initiated and chaired by Argentina, aims to combat exclusion, discrimination, and neglect as life expectancy rises. The U.N. projects that the number of people over 65 will double in the next 50 years to become a fifth of the world’s population.
Argentina’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Carlos Mario Foradori, stated that the objective is to build an instrument that strengthens the dignity, protection, and rights of millions of older persons globally.
Support and Next Steps
Brazil, Slovenia, the Philippines, and Gambia are the proposed treaty’s other main backers, and Chile and South Africa were among countries that voiced support in the week-long talks. Negotiators are set to meet again in Geneva in October, and it is not clear how long negotiations might last.
Although there are already human rights treaties that have non-discrimination clauses based on race and gender, none exist for age. Heidrun Mollenkopf, President of AGE Platform Europe, a network of older people, highlighted the need for protection, citing abuses in nursing homes, including chemical restraints to control the behavior of people with dementia.
A U.N.-appointed independent expert on the human rights of older people recommended reforms in a 2021 report, saying ageism was pervasive globally and that deeply embedded stereotypes about age were informing laws and policies.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
