WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

http://www.helpage.org/what-we-do/rights/towards-a-convention-on-the-rights-of-older-people/

Towards a Convention on the Rights of Older People – Older WOMEN

Ageism, Discrimination & Denial of Rights in Older Age Continue to Be Tolerated Worldwide

Existing human rights mechanisms fail to adequately protect and promote the rights of older people.

What we want

We believe that a single instrument, a new international convention, is the most effective way to make sure that all people, now and in the future, enjoy their human rights in their older age, on an equal basis with others

Why do we need a convention on the rights of older people?

We need a convention to:

• establish legal standards that challenge and replace stigmatising and dehumanising ageist attitudes and behaviour
• clarify how human rights apply in older age
• ensure states understand their human rights obligations to us in our older age
• better understand and assert our rights in our older age
• improve accountability of states for their human rights obligations towards us in older age
• provide a framework for policy and decision making.

A new convention must:

• provide a comprehensive and systematic framework for the protection and promotion of all our human rights in older age
• prohibit discrimination on the basis of older age in every aspect of our lives
• articulate how each human right specifically applies to us in older age
• provide for a strong implementation, monitoring and accountability system.

The UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing

The UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) was established by the General Assembly in 2010.

The next OEWG meeting is in July 2015, where proposals for the content of a new convention on older people's rights will be discussed.

The OEWG's main purpose is to strengthen the protection of older people's human rights by reviewing how existing human rights instruments address older people's rights, identifying any gaps in protection and exploring the feasibility of new human rights instruments.

Civil society is able to participate and HelpAge has been actively engaging with the process. We continue support older women and men to take part and submit evidence from our programmes around the world.