By Anders Hylander
The UN High-level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda is meeting this week on the Indonesian island of Bali. This is the fourth meeting of the panel, which later this year will deliver a key report with recommendations for a future development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals after 2015. The main focus of the meeting is the role of global partnerships for development.
With our Affiliate in Indonesia, Yayasan Emong Lansia (YEL), we have sent a letter to the Indonesian President, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is hosting the Bali meeting in his role as co-chair of the High-level Panel. The letter calls for greater discussion in the post-2015 process of the challenges and opportunities of global population ageing (228kb).
Age-proofing the post-2015 framework
As part of the preparations for this week’s High-level Panel’s meeting, a number of representatives from Indonesian and global civil society met last week in Bali to discuss the future framework, develop suggestions for the panel and engage in discussions with its members.
Two strong advocates and experts on older people’s rights and ageing attended the meetings:
Eva Sabdono, Executive Director of YEL, an organisation which has been advocating for the rights of older people in Indonesia and the East Asia region since 1996. YEL also leads the Age Demands Action campaign in Indonesia.
Dr Rosy Pereyra, President of the International Longevity Center (ILC), Dominican Republic. This organisation is part of the ILC Global Alliance which works to build societies where the human rights of all people are respected, people are able to enjoy their longevity and live a productive life.
At the meetings, Eva Sabdono and Dr Rosy Pereyra called for a post-2015 framework that addresses people of all ages through a strong human rights-based approach that can help people live with dignity and free from discrimination at all stages of their life.
They also recommended the post-2015 process focus on:
- improved data collection,
- full implementation of the Social Protection Floor, including access to essential social security transfers and services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, education, food and housing,
- a goal on healthy life expectancy,
- a cross-cutting goal on equality and non-discrimination.
It was encouraging that the Civil Society Communique, which came out of the meetings on Saturday and Sunday and was presented to High-level Panel members earlier today, captured HelpAge’s key asks for the next development framework.
Focus on global partnerships on development
The focus on the role of global partnerships for development beyond 2015 is linked to the current MDG Goal 8 which highlights areas such as aid commitments, trade and financial systems, debt, access to medicine and information, as well as systems for accountable monitoring of financial and policy commitments.
At the Bali talks, HelpAge called for an increased effort to reach MDG8 and make sure it benefits people of all ages. This includes:
- closing the gap of US$167 billion between actual aid disbursement and the amounts committed by donor countries,
- improving availability and affordability of essential medicines in developing countries for people of all ages,
- eliminating trade restrictions introduced since the end of 2008.
What else are we doing?
To ensure our demands are heard in the post-2015 process we are engaging in a number of consultations:
- National discussions on post-2015 in at least 20 countries.
- Six thematic consultations including population dynamics, inequalities and health.
- The MY World initiative, a UN-led, global outreach programme.
- Participate, a UKAID-funded, participatory research project.
Learn more
- Read our key asks for the post-2015 process (111kb).
- Read our discussion papers on the post-2015 process.
- Follow the discussion on Twitter via the hashtags #post2015 and #post2015HLP.