Intervention by the Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic, Amb. Martín García Moritán

October 10

 

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, dear friends,

Good morning and thank you very much for being here. It is an honor for me to be at the 29th anniversary celebration of the International Day of Older Persons at UN Headquarters.

I would like to start by thanking the NGO Committee on Ageing- New York, the IDOP Sub-Committee and DESA for organizing this event, which serves as an important platform to engage in a substantive and meaningful debate about the situation of the human rights of older persons and to raise awareness of the importance that this issue has at our present time. Like every year, it is a great pleasure for Argentina to partner with you in order to commemorate this very important day.

This year, our theme for the international day is “The Journey to Age Equality”, which is a cornerstone of the human rights framework and directly affects the enjoyment of the human rights of older persons. I am sure that this debate will be very fruitful and will trigger off key issues and ideas from which to move forward in order to assure the protection and fulfillment of the human rights of all older persons. In this regard, today I would like to reflect upon the relationship between the significant role of older people  as active contributors to sustainable social and economic development and the full realization of their human rights in order to achieve equality for all.

According to the World Population Prospects 2019 published last June by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), between 2019 and by 2030, the number of persons aged 60 years or over is projected to grow by 38 per cent, from 1 billion to 1.4 billion, globally outnumbering youth. Addressing this global issue now will not only guarantee the protection of the human rights of all older persons but it will also pave the way for States to be better prepared to face the future challenge of an ever faster growing ageing population. This reality imposes us the crucial challenge of rethinking and redefining the way we see, conceive and address ageing.

It will be impossible to achieve sustainable and long lasting development if we leave behind the fastest growing social group. In this regard, population ageing must be addressed from a human-rights based approach in order to ensure the full realization of the rights of older people under equal conditions and any strategy of sustainable development must include them as active subjects and agents of change.

The SG in his last report on the Follow – up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing drew attention to the significant implication that the inclusion of older people may have in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, he highlighted the fact that in the voluntary national reviews presented during the HLPF this year, "few countries reported the inclusion of ageing –related priorities in their national sustainable development strategies”.

The maximum pledge of the 2030 Agenda of "Leaving no one behind" calls us for action to scale up our efforts so that the full exercise of the rights of all older people is not only respected but also effectively guaranteed by the States.

The lack of visibility of older persons in the 2030 agenda could well be understood considering the following premise: in order to guarantee an age-inclusive implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals it is of utmost importance to be clear about the obligations of the States to assure the effective enjoyment of their human rights.

In this respect,  according to the Independent Expert, Ms. Rosa Kornfeld, the lack of a wide and integrated international legally binding instrument when it comes to the promotion and protection of the human rights and dignity of older persons has strong practical implications:  it is still very difficult to clearly establish the obligations of Member States towards the human rights of older persons since the current legal framework  does not work as a guide for governments and their governmental policies. This absence of a specific legal instrument may also explain the lack of attention to the specific problems of older persons in the global regulatory framework, in particular the Sustainable Development Goals.

Likewise, during the last session of the OEWGA, some delegations as well as several NGOs and NHRIs stressed the need for an international legally binding instrument that can clearly establish the obligations of Member States when it comes to the protection of the Human Rights of older persons.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document, which underpins all international human rights law and inspires us to continue to work to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity. However, the existing framework of international human rights law does not recognize age as a cause of forbidden discrimination, which constitutes a clear deficiency in the current system, and contributes to make many serious violations of the human rights of older persons invisible.

Likewise, even though the general principle of the international legal framework related to the right to equality and non-discrimination is included in most of States´ national laws, in almost all cases there aren ́t specific references to the rights of older persons and to discrimination on the basis of age.

It is clear that the enjoyment of all human rights is diminished with age due to the negative notion that older persons are less productive, less valuable to society and a burden to the economy and to younger generations. Also, there is an idea that they are a vulnerable group that needs special care and protectionist measures.

 

Distinguished colleagues,

In our Working Group we are proud to have been recognized as the most prominent international forum specifically devoted to the rights of older persons. The OEWGA has acted as a platform from which the wide and active participation of all the relevant stakeholders has given visibility to the need for promoting, protecting and strengthening the human rights of older persons and has helped reflecting upon innovative courses of action that will best meet their current and future needs.

I would also like to emphasize the relevant role played by civil society organizations, which have always been key actors in identifying  areas where the human rights of the elderly need to be strengthened, pointing out the gaps in existing international framework and suggesting  how best to address them.

To conclude, I would like to end by renewing Argentina’s firm commitment towards advancing the issues related to ageing in the United Nations and to advocate for the inclusion, meaningful participation and full enjoyment of their human rights by older persons. I look forward to listening to the presentations of our distinguished panelists and I’m sure that we will have a very interesting discussion on the issues of ageing. Once again, I thank you all for being here and I wish us a very rich and successful session.

Thank you.