WUNRN
OLDER PERSONS & POVERTY - OLDER
WOMEN
Please see 2 parts of this WUNRN
release.
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Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights
OLDER PERSONS AMONG THE POOREST IN
THE WORLD
03 February 2012 - For those in midlife and beyond, ageing is often linked with poverty and income insecurity. Estimations point to as many as 80 per cent of older people not covered by social security, suggesting that a disturbing number of around 607 million people aged 60 or older lack income security.
Given that women are less likely than
men to have contributed to formal pension schemes, a majority of these millions
of individuals are older women.
Chronic poverty in old age impacts on a number of human
rights and is present in both developed and developing economies. Oftentimes,
since older persons are the main providers for the household, grandchildren and
other members of the family are also affected.
As noted by the Secretary-General in his first report
(PDF) to focus on the human rights situation of older persons, “the single most
pressing human rights challenge for older persons is poverty. Homelessness,
malnutrition, unattended chronic diseases, lack of access to safe drinking
water and sanitation, unaffordable medicines and treatment, and income
insecurity are just a few of the most critical human rights issues that a large
number of older persons confront on a daily basis”.
The Commission on Social Development will hold its fiftieth session with a
focus on poverty eradication from 1 to 10 February 2012 in
The Commission will consider preliminary findings of the second review and
appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002. Although
eradication of old-age poverty is at the core of this plan, data shows that it
continues to be largely ignored and seldom addressed.
Targeted actions to enhance the protection of all human rights for older
persons are essential and can wait no longer. Human rights add quality and
inclusiveness to policy efforts towards ensuring a life of dignity for older
men and women. Principles such as non-discrimination, universality of access to
services, facilities and goods, and independent accountability mechanisms are
essential complements to development programs.
As the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights highlighted in
her 2010 report, social protection systems play a critical role in reducing
extreme poverty and contributing to the realization of human rights of older
persons. In particular, the report focuses on the relevance of the human rights
based approach to social pensions.
For instance, social pensions can take the shape of cash benefits received by
persons above a given age that do not require prior compulsory contributions
from beneficiaries, employers or the State. Social pensions are an important
dimension of social security systems. Today, many people worldwide work outside
the formal employment sector and traditional informal support systems for older
people are changing under the pressure of increased longevity, widespread
poverty, the impact of HIV/AIDS and migration. Contributory pension schemes
(e.g. employment-based pensions) only reach a minority of all older persons.
In August 2012, the Open-Ended Working Group on strengthening the protection of
the human rights of older persons will hold its third working session to
continue the consideration of the international human rights framework,
identify gaps in the protection of older persons, and suggest ways to address
any such gaps.
The working group was established by the General Assembly in December 2010 for
the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older
persons. It is open to all UN Member States and welcomes contributions from UN
System organizations and human rights experts, intergovernmental organizations
and relevant non-governmental organizations.
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INDEPENDENT EXPERT ON HUMAN RIGHTS &
EXTREME POVERTY REPORT TO THE UN
Role of Non-Contributory Pensions or Social Pensions in Reducing
Extreme Poverty and Contributing to the Realization of Human Rights of Older
Persons
Direct Link to Full 22-Page Report:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/14session/A.HRC.14.31_en.pdf
II Poverty and Old Age
C. Poverty Among Older Women
19. Older women are disproportionately disadvantaged: They are
marginalized due to their age and tend to be poorer than men. Because of
gendered discrimination
patterns throughout their life, women are often in a situation
where they have accumulated lesser wealth than men. Cultural practices of
early marriage
and women's longer life expectancy than men worldwide, lead to a
situation where
women are more likely to be widows than men, and being widowed
puts older
women at higher risk of being poor. In many countries, women have
limited access
to land and other assets.......
20. Most older women are excluded from formal social
security and health insurance
schemes as these are
linked to paid, formal-sector employment. In developing
countries, the great
majority of women work all their lives in the informal sector
or in unpaid activities.
In developed countries too, older women are more likely
than men to be poor at
old age......Women are less likely to receive a large
contributory pension
since they are more likely to have stopped work at some
point over their
lifetime to take on the burden of child rearing and are also more
likely to have received
lesser wages for their work than men.
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