The Human
Rights Council adopted a resolution on older people’s rights at its last
session in Geneva, attached. This is good as it will keep older people’s rights
on the Human Rights Council’s agenda.
The resolution
tasks the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) to hold
a public consultation on older people’s rights and then submit a report to the
Human Rights Council next year.
Here is the text of the resolution:
Human Rights Council
Twenty-first
session
Agenda item 3
Promotion
and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Angola,
Argentina*, Bolivia (Plurinational
State of)*, Brazil *, Burkina Faso , Chile ,
Cuba , Guatemala , Honduras *, Paraguay *, Peru , Qatar ,
Turkey *, Uruguay , Venezuela
(Bolivarian Republic
21/… The human rights of older persons
The Human
Rights Council,
Recalling General Assembly
resolution 65/182 of 21 December 2010 on the follow-up to the Second World
Assembly on Ageing, in which the Assembly established an open-ended working
group for the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of
older persons by considering the existing international framework of the human
rights of older persons and identifying possible gaps and how best to address
them, including by considering, as appropriate, the feasibility of further
instruments and measures, and taking into account that no international
instrument addresses specifically the promotion and protection of the human
rights of older persons,
Bearing in mind the Political
Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing of 2002, and
relevant General Assembly resolutions,
Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the Second
World Assembly on Ageing,[1]
Taking note with appreciation also of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
on the human rights of older persons,[2]
Noting with appreciation the analytical outcome paper prepared by the Office of the High
Commissioner on normative standards in international human rights law,
Recalling general comment No. 6
of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the economic,
social and cultural rights of older persons, and general recommendation No. 27 of
the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on older women
and the protection of their human rights, as well as other relevant documents
by treaty bodies,
Conscious that older persons
represent a large and growing segment of the population, and that greater
attention is needed to the specific human rights challenges affecting them,
Concerned at the multiple
forms of discrimination faced by older persons and the high incidence of poverty among older persons, in
particular older women, people with disabilities, people of African descent,
indigenous people, people belonging to minorities, rural populations and people
living on the streets, among other groups particularly vulnerable to poverty,
1. Recognizes
that older persons face human rights challenges relating to civil,
cultural, economic, political and social rights, such as age discrimination,
long-term care, violence and abuse, social protection, adequate food and
housing, decent work, access to productive resources, and legal capacity and
health support, and that those challenges require in-depth analysis on
normative and operational protection gaps;
2. Also
recognizes that current international mechanisms have been insufficient to
promote and protect the human rights of older persons, and that dedicated
measures are needed without delay;
3. Welcomes
multilateral, regional and subregional initiatives aimed at the promotion and
protection of rights of older persons, including the development of normative
standards;
4. Calls
upon all States to ensure the realization of all human rights for older
persons, including by addressing age discrimination, neglect, abuse and
violence against older persons and by providing social integration and adequate
health care, bearing in mind the crucial importance of family intergenerational
interdependence, solidarity and reciprocity for social development;
5. Encourages
all States to conduct their age-related policies through inclusive and
participatory consultations with relevant stakeholders and social development
partners in the interest of developing effective policies creating national
policy ownership and consensus-building;
6. Calls
upon all States to adopt or improve national legal mechanisms dedicated to
the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons;
7. Encourages
all States to ensure that older persons receive information about their rights;
8. Invites
existing special procedures and treaty bodies to integrate, within their
existing mandates, the human rights of older persons;
9. Encourages
all States to consider including in their national reports, to be submitted for
the universal periodic review, information on the human rights of older persons;
10. Requests
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to
organize, in Geneva, an intersessional public consultation on the promotion and
protection of the human rights of older persons, to receive the inputs of States
Members of the United Nations, relevant international organizations, United
Nations agencies and stakeholders;
11. Also requests
the Office of the High Commissioner to present a summary report of the above-mentioned
consultation to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session;
12. Decides
to continue consideration of the question of human rights of older persons at
its twenty-third session.
