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

October 6, 2016

Excellences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning and thank you very much for being here.

Let me begin by expressing our deep appreciation to the NGO Committee on Ageing – New York, the IDOP Sub-Committee and DESA for organizing this event. Like every year, it is a great pleasure for Argentina to partner with you in order to commemorate the International Day of Older Persons, 1st of October.

I would also like to thank the large group of co-sponsoring Permanent Missions who have joined this very significative event. Being able to count with such a cross regional support is a clear indication that the issues related to older persons are of the utmost importance for the international community and should be mainstreamed into the work at the UN.

I also would like to specially thank His Excellency Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly for his message on the observance of the International Day.

This year, our theme for the international day is “Taking a stand against ageism”. Taking a stand against discrimination based on age must start at recognizing the essential contribution that older persons make to societies and to development as a whole. The role of older persons in their communities and families and in societies at large is fundamental and often overlooked. This is exacerbated by negative stereotypes associated to discrimination, neglect, violence and abuse.

Ensuring the full and meaningful participation and social inclusion of older persons can only bring positive contributions to the functioning of societies and its development. In 2016, after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, it is imperative to recognize the essential contribution that older men and women can make to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, if adequate guarantees are in place and if can ensure their active participation in society, overcoming barriers imposed by ageism and negative stereotypes.

In order to better assess not only the contribution of older persons, but especially the obstacles they face to their full inclusion and the enjoyment of their rights, it is also key to develop indicators and collect and analyze data disaggregated by age, so as to be able to more effectively understand the experiences, challenges, evolving needs and contributions of older persons in order to design appropriate responses.

In that regard, it is crucial to share experiences, good practices and lessons learned that allow us to better understand the challenges older persons face due to the discrimination they suffer on the basis of age and to be able to design policies and programmes in order to address those challenges and overcome the obstacles to the full inclusion and participation of older persons in every aspect of our lives.

From Argentina’s point of view, it is evident that the existing mechanisms to guarantee the full exercise of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of older people have flaws, be it because there are deficiencies in their implementation as some States maintain or because there is a normative gap at the international level that must be filled by a universal legally binding instrument to address issues such as ill treatment, exclusion, stigmatization, discrimination and the satisfaction of basic needs of older persons. We would like to highlight in that regard the adoption of the Interamerican Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons in 2015 and its entry into force last August. It is only through the development of an international universally binding instrument that we will ensure the adequate protection of older persons against discrimination, violence, neglect and abuse.

We as societies cannot afford to loose the incredibly rich contributions that older persons can make to our civil, political, economic, social and cultural life. Taking a stand against ageism would mean to effectively address the discrimination faced by older persons in all spheres of their life: in culture, in media, in the workplace, within families, in the health-care sector, and many others.

In that regard, I am confident that today’s event will represent an excellent opportunity to raise awareness on the issue of ageism, but also will contribute to further mainstream ageing issues into our work here in New York. In an increasingly ageing world, one where the population aged 60 and older is expected to grow by 56% between 2016 and 2030, from 900 million to 1.4 billion, we cannot afford to look away from the present and future challenges that older persons will face.

To finalize and give space to my fellow speakers, 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 keynote speaker and the distinguished panelists and I’m sure that we will have a very fruitful discussion on the issues of ageing and discrimination.

Once again, I thank you all for being here and wish us a very rich and successful session.

Thank you very much.