Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Regional HR Convention for Older Persons - Development in the Americas

The struggle to develop and establish a new human rights instrument to promote the rights of older persons on the international level has received a new boost from the Organization of American States:
The Organization of American States.approved last Friday (December 2, 2011) a major step to start writing the text of a convention to protect the rights of older people. This report was approved and highlights the need to comply with the mandate of the Working Group in 2012. According to the operative paragraph 2 of Resolution AG / RES 2654 (XLI-0/11), its task is to develop "a draft Convention for the promotion and protection of the rights of older people before the end of the first half of 2012.”
If indeed the OAS will stand up to its plan, it will the first international body to adopt and binding international convention exclusively for the rights of older persons. This can also serve as a significant step towards the adoption of a similar trend not only in other global regions but also for the UN at large.