Right across the Asia Pacific region, the inspiring campaigning efforts of Age Demands Action activists have made national governments sit up and listen!
Older people from Cambodia, to Fiji, to Thailand and the Philippines have met the decision makers, who really have the power to bring about change, to show them that older people have a huge contribution to make to society and should not be discriminated against.
In 2008, in the Philippines, activists went a step further when 2,000 older people marched to congress dressed entirely in white and filled the gallery to demand that pensions be made law. They certainly got the government’s attention!
Real change
There were massive celebrations in the Philippines earlier this year when the President announced that he was introducing pensions for the poorest older people in the country.
Thousands of older people will be better off and more able to support themselves, their children and their grandchildren. Well done to the Age Demands Action campaigners who helped to make this fantastic change happen!
Progress was also made in Fiji, where the government promised to develop a policy for older people and in Thailand, where the government began to convert the means-tested pension allowance into a universal pension for all, improving the lives of many older people in the country.
More still needs to be done
These are fantastic successes but pressure needs to continue. Huge numbers of older people across this region are still living in severe poverty and being denied the respect and support they deserve.
That’s why Age Demands Action campaigners will keep making noise and keep standing up for their rights. They will show national governments that older people can not and should not be ignored.
You can help by signing our ADA global petition against age discrimination.