Joined statement delivered by Deputy Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations Saša Jurečko, also on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, the Gambia and the Philippines, at the High-level meeting on Ageing – General Assembly, 79th session

Mr. President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, The Gambia, Philippines, and my own country Slovenia.

We welcome today’s High-level meeting to exchange views and share experiences on the recommendations included in decision 14/1 of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, pursuant to the General Assembly resolution 78/324. We thank the panelists for their valuable presentations.

Mr. President,

The fact is that the world’s population is aging and the share of older persons in our societies is growing every year. By 2050, the number of people over 65 will double, reaching 1.6 billion. These demographic shifts require our immediate action. Despite a globally ageing population older persons remain one of the most overlooked groups in the global human rights framework. They often experience multiple forms of discrimination, inequality, and are disproportionately affected by violence, abuse, neglect, isolation, and poverty. We are committed to strengthening the promotion and protection of all human rights of older persons, including older women, on an equal basis with others, and to promote meaningful participation and inclusion of older persons into all aspects of society.

Last year, the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing adopted a historic decision 14/1 on the recommendations regarding the identification of possible gaps in the protection of the human rights of older persons and recommending states to, inter alia, elaborate an international legally binding instrument. The decision further proposes to address the human rights of older persons in relevant multilateral fora, including in the Human Rights Council.

Just a month ago the Human Rights Council adopted with consensus and a broad cross-regional support the resolution 58/13, establishing an open-ended intergovernmental working group with the mandate of elaborating and submitting to the Human Rights Council a draft international legally binding instrument on the human rights of older persons with the objective of promoting, protecting and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by older persons. More than 80 states cosponsored the resolution.

The resolution, submitted by the Core Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons, composed by Argentina, Brazil, The Gambia, Philippines, and Slovenia, provides a platform for inclusive and transparent intergovernmental discussions, with a meaningful participation of all relevant stakeholders. All states, UN agencies, national human rights institutions, civil society, especially older persons and their representatives will have the opportunity to actively contribute to the work of the open-ended intergovernmental working group. Involvement of all relevant stakeholders is crucial to achieving a diverse, representative and impactful outcome.

Mr. President,

We believe that the creation of a dedicated international legally binding instrument on the human rights of older persons will be a transformative opportunity to address the gaps in our current systems, to combat all forms of systemic discrimination against older persons and age discrimination and to ensure that older persons can live with dignity and rights.

Thank you.

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