Joint written statement of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People(GAROP) for the OHCHR Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on the Rights of Older Persons, 29-30 August 2022
This statement is made on behalf of the 412 member organizations of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People.
We thank the High Commissioner’s office for organizing this important and timely meeting, bringing together key stakeholders around a common goal: to strengthen the human rights framework for older persons. We look forward to engaging in constructive discussions on concrete recommendations to address the gaps in the protection of the rights of older persons.
We welcome the recognition by the Human Rights Council of the challenges older people fact in the enjoyment of their rights, resulting in the adoption of the first-ever substantive Resolution (A/HRC/RES/48/3) on ageism and age discrimination. We also welcome the reports of the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, and the High Commissioner’s report on normative standards and obligations under international law (A/HRC/49/70).
The High Commissioner’s report clearly concludes that the current international framework is failing older persons in law and practice and that the adoption of a comprehensive binding the legal instrument on the human rights of older persons can effectively address the gaps and inadequacies in the existing human rights framework.
We urge the Member States to act on this evidence without delay and to adopt at the Human Rights Council’s 52nd session a new substantive resolution that recognizes the findings of the High Commissioner’s report defines concrete steps to close the protection gaps for older persons. We also urge the Member States to organize a further Multi-stakeholder Meeting next year to monitor progress in the implementation of the new substantive Resolution. We also
urge the Human Rights Council to call upon the UN General Assembly’s Open-ended Working Group on Ageing to take fully into account the findings and recommendations of this Multistakeholder Meeting in order to fulfill its mandate. The meaningful and effective participation of older persons and civil society throughout all these discussions are essential for their success.
As members of the Global Alliance, we firmly reiterate our call upon the Member States to start drafting a UN convention on the rights of older persons now so that we can all age with rights