By\u00a0Samuel King\u00a0and\u00a0In\u00e9s M. Pousadela<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BRUSSELS, Belgium \/ MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (IPS)\u00a0<\/strong>– The world\u2019s population is ageing. Global life expectancy has leapt to\u00a073.3 years<\/a>, up from under 65 in 1995. Around the world, there are now\u00a01.1 billion people aged 60-plus<\/a>, expected to rise to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This demographic shift is a triumph, reflecting public health successes, medical advances and better nutrition. But it brings human rights challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ageism casts older people as burdens, despite the enormous social contribution many older people make through family roles, community service and volunteering. Prejudice fuels widespread human rights violations, including age discrimination, economic exclusion, denial of services, inadequate social security, neglect and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impacts are particularly brutal for those facing discrimination for other reasons. Older women, LGBTQI+ elders, disabled seniors and older people from other excluded groups suffer compounded vulnerabilities. During conflicts and climate disasters, older people face disproportionate hardships but receive disproportionately little attention or protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These challenges aren\u2019t limited to wealthy countries such as Japan, where more than one in 10 people are now aged 80 and over. Global south countries are experiencing population ageing too, and often at a much faster pace than occurred historically in the global north. Many people face the daunting prospect of becoming old in societies with limited infrastructure and social protection systems to support them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these escalating challenges, no global human rights treaty specifically protects older people. The current international framework is a patchwork that looks increasingly out of step as global demographics shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first significant international breakthrough came in 2015, when the Organization of American States adopted the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons<\/a>. This landmark treaty explicitly recognises older people as rights-bearers and establishes protections against discrimination, neglect and exploitation. It demonstrates how legal frameworks can evolve to address challenges faced by ageing populations, although implementation remains uneven across signatory countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Globally, the World Health Organization\u2019s Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) <\/a>represents progress in promoting age-friendly environments and responsive healthcare systems. But it\u2019s a voluntary framework without legally enforceable protections. Only a binding treaty can deliver human rights guarantees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why the UN Human Rights Council\u2019s decision on 3 April to establish an intergovernmental working group to draft a convention on older persons\u2019 rights offers real hope. In the current fractured geopolitical landscape, the resolution\u2019s adoption by consensus is encouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This positive step came as a result of over a decade of dogged advocacy through the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing<\/a>, established by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Through 14 sessions, states, civil society and national human rights institutions built an overwhelming case for action, culminating in an August 2024 recommendation to develop a treaty. Strategic cross-border campaigning and coalition-building by civil society organisations such as AGE Platform Europe<\/a>, Amnesty International<\/a> and HelpAge International<\/a> were instrumental in advancing the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the crucial phase of transforming principles into binding legal protection begins. The Human Rights Council resolution sets out the path forward. The first meeting of the drafting working group is due before the year\u2019s end. Once drafted, the text will advance through the UN system for consideration and adoption. If adopted, this convention will follow in the footsteps of those on the rights of children in 1989 and people with disabilities in 2006, which have significantly advanced protections for their target groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This convention offers a rare opportunity to redefine how societies value their older members. The journey from declaration to implementation will demand persistent civil society advocacy, first to ensure the text of the convention delivers meaningful, enforceable protections rather than mere aspirational statements, and then to prevent the dilution of protections through limited implementation. But the potential reward is profound: a world where advancing age enhances rather than diminishes human dignity and rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSamuel King<\/strong> is a researcher with the Horizon Europe-funded research project ENSURED: Shaping Cooperation for a World in Transition<\/a> and In\u00e9s M. Pousadela<\/strong> is Senior Research Specialist at CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, writer at CIVICUS Lens<\/a> and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report<\/a>.<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n