News

UN Member States voted to take steps to strengthen the protection of older people’s rights in a landmark vote in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday 27 November.

HelpAge International is extremely concerned about the safety and wellbeing of older people affected by the recent escalation of unrest in eastern Democratic of Congo (DRC). About 140,000 people have fled their homes in the latest eruption of violence in North Kivu province. We estimate that amongst them are 12,000 older people aged 50 or over.

HelpAge International is very concerned for the safety of the 60,000 older people in the Gaza strip aged 60 and over, including 4,000 who live alone. Many have difficulty walking or have chronic illnesses that limit their mobility.

As the impact of days of violent escalation worsens for civilians in Gaza and in Israel, a group of 38 aid and development agencies today urged world leaders to take swift action to enforce a ceasefire in order to protect civilian lives and infrastructure and prevent another widespread humanitarian disaster in Gaza brought on by a prolonged military confrontation.

Today, HelpAge board member and ageing expert, Isabella Aboderin is attending the UN High Level Panel meeting to discuss the post-2015 development framework.

As part of Age Demands Action in Europe, campaigners from across Europe and Kenya are marching to the European Parliament to urge the EU to make its development policy age-friendly on 4 October. The event will be chaired by Thijs Berman, MEP, and Coordinator for the Socialists and Democrats Group on the Development Committee.

Tokyo, 1 October 2012— The number of older persons is growing faster than any other age group, says a new report, Ageing in the Twenty-first Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, released today on International Day of Older Persons by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and HelpAge International.

The number of older persons is growing faster than any other age group, according to our new report, Ageing in the Twenty-first Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, released today on International Day of Older Persons in collaboration with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. The landmark report underlines that, while the trend of ageing societies is a cause for celebration, it also presents huge challenges as it requires completely new approaches to health care, employment and living arrangements.

We are very sorry to share the news that incoming board member Faith Innerarity, 54, passed away on the 27th September in Florida, United States, after a short illness.

People across the UK are being urged to nominate inspirational older people, as part of the new 60 over 60 campaign to celebrate the growing numbers of older people in the UK and around the world.

To complement the release of a new report, Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, UNFPA and HelpAge International are creating a list of 60 inspiring and influential older people over 60, and we need your help.

Last week the European Commission released a new communication on social protection. This is the first time that the EU, the world’s biggest aid donor, has sought to explain how EU development cooperation can support the strengthening of social protection systems around the world.