Friday, July 12, 2013

Compilation of existing international legal documents that address HR of Older Persons

For the coming  UN Open-Ended Working Group on Aging, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has prepared a compilation of all international legal documents addressing the situation of older persons.
Here is the compilation:

Open-ended Working Group on Ageing
Fourth working session
12-15 August 2013

Compilation of existing international legal instruments, documents and programmes that directly or indirectly address the situation of older persons, including those of conferences, summits, meetings or international or regional seminars convened by the United Nations and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations


This compilation has been prepared by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, pursuant paragraph 4 of General Assembly Resolution 67/139, which requested “the Secretary-General, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), to submit to the Working Group by its fourth session and from within existing resources a compilation of existing international legal instruments, documents and programmes that directly or indirectly address the situation of older persons, including those of conferences, summits, meetings or international or regional seminars convened by the United Nations and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations”.

International Human Rights Treaties

Instruments dedicated to the human rights of older persons:

None


Explicit provisions on the human rights of older persons contained in the International Bill of Human Rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and their respective Optional Protocols):

None



International human rights treaties containing a general prohibition of discrimination on the basis of age

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, Article 7:

States Parties undertake, in accordance with the international instruments concerning human rights, to respect and to ensure to all migrant workers and members of their families within their territory or subject to their jurisdiction the rights provided for in the present Convention without distinction of any kind such as to sex, race, colour, language, religion or conviction, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, nationality, age, economic position, property, marital status, birth or other status.


Other explicit provisions in human rights treaties explicitly addressing age and older persons:

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Article 11

1. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women, the same rights, in particular:

(e) The right to social security, particularly in cases of retirement, unemployment, sickness, invalidity and old age and other incapacity to work, as well as the right to paid leave;


Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Article 13 - Access to justice

1. States Parties shall ensure effective access to justice for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others, including through the provision of procedural and age-appropriate accommodations, in order to facilitate their effective role as direct and indirect participants, including as witnesses, in all legal proceedings, including at investigative and other preliminary stages.

Article 16 - Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse

2. States Parties shall also take all appropriate measures to prevent all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse by ensuring, inter alia, appropriate forms of gender- and age-sensitive assistance and support for persons with disabilities and their families and caregivers, including through the provision of information and education on how to avoid, recognize and report instances of exploitation, violence and abuse. States Parties shall ensure that protection services are age-, gender- and disability-sensitive.

Article 25 – Health

States Parties recognize that persons with disabilities have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination on the basis of disability. States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure access for persons with disabilities to health services that are gender-sensitive, including health-related rehabilitation. In particular, States Parties shall:

(b) Provide those health services needed by persons with disabilities specifically because of their disabilities, including early identification and intervention as appropriate, and services designed to minimize and prevent further disabilities, including among children and older persons;

Article 28 - Adequate standard of living and social protection

2. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to social protection and to the enjoyment of that right without discrimination on the basis of disability, and shall take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote the realization of this right, including measures:

(b) To ensure access by persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities and older persons with disabilities, to social protection programmes and poverty reduction programmes.


General comments and recommendations by UN treaty bodies

Treaty Body General Recommendations and General Comments

CESCR General Comment No. 6, The economic, social and cultural rights of older persons, 12/08/1995


CEDAW, General Recommendation No. 27, CEDAW/C/2010/47/GC.1


CESCR, General Comment No. 14, The right to the highest attainable standard of health, E/C.12/2000/4

http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G00/439/34/PDF/G0043934.pdf?OpenElement

CESCR, General Comment No. 20, Non- Discrimination in economic, social and cultural rights, E/C.12/GC/20


CESCR, General Comment  No. 21, Right of everyone to participate in cultural life, E/C.12/GC/21, 21

CESCR, Report on the Twelfth and Thirteenth Sessions, 12 December 1996, E/1996/22


Human Rights Committee, General Comment no.18, Non Discrimination, HRI/GEN/Rev.6


Treaty Body Concluding Observations

CEDAW, Concluding Observations, Albania, CEDAW/C/ALB/CO/3., 16 December 2012


CEDAW, Concluding Observations, The Netherlands, CEDAW/C/NLD/CO 5, 5 February 2010, para 45

CEDAW, Concluding Observations, Argentina, CEDAW/C/ARG/CO/6, 16 August 2010, para 42


CEDAW, Concluding Observations, Papua New Guinea, CEDAW/C/PNG/CO/3, 30 July 2010, para 28


CESCR, Concluding Observations for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, E/C.12/1/ADD.95


CESCR, Concluding Observations for Canada, E/C.12/1993/5


Human Rights Committee, Concluding Observations, Germany, CCPR/CO/80/DEU, 4 May 2004


CEDAW, Concluding Observation, Iceland, A/57/38, 2002, para 250


Concluding Comments France, Fortieth session 14 Jan- 1 Feb 2008, CEDAW/C/FRA/CO/6


CESCR, Consideration of Reports, Submitted by State Parties under Articles 16 and 17, Slovenia, E/C, 12/SVN/CO/1, para 22, 35


CESCR, Consideration of Reports, Submitted by State Parties under Articles 16 and 17
Concluding Observations of the CESCR, Serbia and Montenegro, E/C.12/1/Add.108, Thirty-fourth session 25 April-13 May 2005, para 8



Reports of UN Special Procedures

Thematic study on the realization of the right to health of older persons by the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Anand Grover, 4 July 2011, A/HR C/18/37 (the right to health of older persons)


Report of the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty, Magdalena SepĂșlveda Carmona, 31 March 2010, A/HRC/14/31 (old age and non-contributory pensions)



Non-binding UN Policy Instruments

Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted at the World Assembly on Ageing  in 1982


Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing  (2002)and endorsed by the General Assembly in resolution 57/167



Non-binding Regional Policy Instruments

ECLAC, Regional Strategy for the implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean of the Madrid International Plan on Ageing


ECLAC, Declaration of Brasilia for the Latin American and Caribbean Region (2007)


UNECE, Regional Implementation Strategy for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (ECE/AC.23/2002/2/Rev.6)


Arab Plan of Action on Ageing to the Year 2012 (E/ESCWA/SD/2002/WG.1/8)


African Union Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing


Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain of Plenipotentiaries, Organization of American States, OAS (2009)


Resolution 2455 on human rights and older persons, Organization of American States (2009)


Plan of Action of the Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation, including Active and healthy Ageing (2009)



UN Resolutions, Reports and documents

Resolutions

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, 4 Feb 2011, A/RES/65/182


A/RES/66/127


A/RES/64/132 (op 14)


E/2010/14 ops 4, 10 and 12


1992 Global Targets on Ageing for the Year 2001 (A/RES/47/86)


Proclamation on Ageing – A/RES/47/5


UN Principles for Older Persons, GA Resolution 49/91, A/RES/46/91


Reports

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted to the Economic and Social Council, 20 March 2012, E/2012/51


Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Report of the Secretary-General, 22 July 2011, A/66/173

Report of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, First working session, New York, 18-21 April 2011, 17 May 2011, A/AC.278/2011/4

Human rights of older persons: International human rights principles and standards, OHCHR, Background paper, revised and updated Open-ended Working Group, 18- 21 April 2011


Working Paper prepared by Mrs Chinsung Chung, Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, 4 December 2009, A/HRC/AC/4/CRP.1


Statement of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 1 October 2010


Abuse of older persons: recognizing and responding to abuse of older persons in a global context Report of the Secretary-General, 9 January 2002, E/CN.5/2002/PC/2


Submissions to the Secretary - General report, GA res. 65/182


E/CN.5/2012/5 Report of the Secretary-General. Second Review and Appraisal of MIPAA


E/CN.5/2010/4 Report of the Secretary-General. Further the implementation of MIPAA



International Labour Organisation (ILO) Standards

ILO Convention no. 102 concerning Social Security (minimum Standards) 1952, 201 UNTS 132, Part V


ILO Convention No. 128 concerning Invalidity, Old Age and Survivors Benefits 1967, 699 UNTS 185


ILO, R202, Recommendation on National Floors for Social Protection, 2012


ILO, Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalisation, Report of the Advisory Group, 2011


ILO, R131, Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivor’s Benefits Recommendation, 1967;

R162 Older Workers Recommendation, 1980; Section II, para 5(g)
R166 Termination of Employment Recommendation, 1982



Documents from other UN Agencies

World Health Organisation, Contribution to the World Conference on Human Rights, 29 March 1993, A/CONF.157/PC/61/Add.8., paras. 53-56.


World Health Organisation, A life course perspective of maintaining independence in older age, 1999


World Health Organisation and World Bank, World Report on Disability, 2011


United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, Gender Dimensions of Ageing Women, 2000


UNFPA and HelpAge International, Ageing in the Twenty-First Century. A Celebration and A Challenge


Other Documents from Regional Organizations

Permanent Council of the Organization of American States

Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, Working Group on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons


Organization of American States General Assembly Resolution AG/RES. 2654 (XLI-O/11) Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons, adopted at the four the plenary session of the forty-first General Assembly, 7 June 2011


Report on the Situation of Older persons in the Hemisphere and the Effectiveness of Binding Universal and Regional Human Rights Instruments with Regards to Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons; December 5, 2011); OEA/Ser.G; CAJP/GT/DHPM-14/11 rev. 1

http://www.oas.org/consejo/cajp/human%20rights.asp#Older Persons


Council of Europe

Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH), Drafting Group on the Human Rights of the Elderly (CDDH-AGE) documents and reports


Meeting report, 1st meeting, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 23 March 2012, CDDH-AGE(2012)R1


Viewpoint of the Commissioner for Human Rights of 28 April 2008: “Aged people are too often ignored and denied their full human rights”


Commissioner for Human Rights, 2nd Annual Report April 2001 to December 2001 to the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, Comm. DH (2202) 2, p 119-131


Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Recommendations of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the Implementation of the right to housing CommDH (2009)5


Council of Europe Recommendation R(99)4 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on Principles Concerning the Legal Protection of Incapable Adults (adopted on 23 February 1999) (“Recommendation R(99)4”)


The Rights of Elderly Persons under the European Social Charter, Draft Information Document drawn up by the Secretariat of the Council of Europe, Department of the European Social Charter, March- April 2011



Recommendation and Resolutions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Resolution 1793 (2011): Promoting active ageing: capitalising on older people’s working potential


Recommendation 1796 (2007): The situation of elderly persons in Europe


Recommendation 1749 (2006): Demographic challenges for social cohesion


Resolution 1502 (2006): Demographic challenges for social cohesion


Recommendation 1619 (2003): Rights of elderly migrants


Recommendation 1591 (2003): Challenges of social policy in Europe’s ageing societies


Recommendation 1428 (1999): The future of senior citizens: protection, participation and Promotion


Recommendation 1254 (1994): on the medical and welfare rights of the elderly: ethics and Policies


Resolution 1008 (1993): on social policies for elderly persons and their self-reliance


Recommendation CM/Rec(2011)5  of the Committee of Ministers to member states on reducing the risk of vulnerability of elderly migrants and improving their welfare


Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on ageing and disability in the 21st century: sustainable frameworks to enable greater quality of life in an inclusive society; Reply from the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary Assembly on “Challenges of social policy in Europe’s ageing societies”


Recommendation No. R (94) 9 of the Committee of Ministers to member states concerning elderly people

Recommendation 1418 (1999) 1 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Protection of the human rights and dignity of the terminally ill and the dying



African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
           
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Report on Focal Point on the Rights of Older persons in Africa, Commissioner Y.K.J. YeungSik Yuen

Final Communique of the 45th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, Held in Banjul, The Gambia, From 13- 27 May 2009, EX.CL/5 (XV)





Sunday, June 2, 2013

Old age and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Anand Grover

 One of the most important rights in old age in the right to health.
In 2011, the UN Special Rapporteur "on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health," Anand Grover, published his report regarding his findings on this rights.
The full report can be found in the following link:
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G11/143/61/PDF/G1114361.pdf?OpenElement

Here are the conclusion and recommendation of this report:

V. Conclusions and recommendations
70. In a report of this length, it is impossible to address all of the important issues,
but the Special Rapporteur notes with urgency the present demographic changes
leading to a rapidly increasing number of older persons. Society should move beyond
seeking simply healthy ageing for its citizens, and begin working towards active and
dignified ageing, which should be planned and supported just like any other stage of
the individual’s life course. Planning for old age implies putting in place diagnostic and
prevention services at the primary healthcare level long before ageing sets in. The
pursuit of active and dignified ageing for older persons requires re-framing society’s
concept of ageing to focus on the continued participation of older persons in social,
economic, cultural and civic affairs, as well as their continuous contributions to society
longer into their lives. The promotion and protection of the human rights of older
persons should be of concern to everyone because ageing is a process which everyone
will undergo. Older persons are especially vulnerable as a group because of
stereotyped perceptions of the group as a “lapsed” segment of society. However, as life
expectancy increases and medicine improves, older persons stay active longer than
ever before, both in terms of occupational and non-occupational activities.
Encouraging older persons to remain physically, politically, socially and economically
active for as long as possible will benefit not only the individual, but also the society as
a whole.

71. The Special Rapporteur recommends:
(a) Recognizing ageing as a lifelong process, a reality which State policy,
legislation and resource allocation should reflect so that health-care services,
including diagnostic and prevention services, are available and accessible to a person
before becoming old to allow for healthy ageing;
(b) Ensuring that the right to the highest attainable standard of health
shapes, and is integrated into, relevant national and international policies concerning
ageing and older persons. Health facilities, goods and services should be made
available, accessible, affordable and acceptable to older persons, and be of good
quality;
(c) Implementing the right-to-health framework to ensure shifting the
discourse surrounding older persons from a needs-based perspective to a rights-based
approach, which enables greater realization of the right to health of older persons;
(d) Encouraging the establishment and support of networks of older persons
in order to ensure their participation in the development and improvement of social
protection and health care, which recognizes and ensures the enjoyment of the right to
health;
(e) Establishing a system of social protection that affords older persons
access to long-term care, whether institutional or home-based, which ensures that
abuse or violations of rights do not take place;
(f) Putting in place policies and procedures for reporting, addressing and
preventing abuse of older persons;
(g) Instituting mechanisms to raise awareness and train medical
professionals, non-medical carers and the wider community on the treatment of older
person, and to prevent and address their abuse;
(h) Developing international guidelines and national systems to regulate and
monitor hospice-care practices to ensure that the elderly are supported in making
A/HRC/18/3719 informed health-care decisions, and that their human dignity and autonomy are not
neglected due to their vulnerability
(i) Establishing and implementing safeguards to ensure that free and
informed consent is required for any treatment and/or other medical intervention and
that this is guaranteed for all patients, no matter their age, condition and treatment
proposed;
(j) Developing and implementing mechanisms to protect the rights of older
persons if/when they are deemed incapable of providing informed consent to any
treatment and/or other medical intervention due to injury, disease or chronic
conditions such as dementia.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Law, gerontology, and human rights: can we connect them all?

A report of a recent study of the European Court of Justice, and its rulings regarding the rights of older persons.

The ECJ is probably the most important judicial institution in the EU, hence its rulings on the rights of older persons is of global importance.


Law, gerontology, and human rights: can we connect them all?

Monday, April 15, 2013

European Charter of rights of older people in long term care

Within the recent debate around the need of a new convention for the rights of older persons, various regional and local initiatives flourish in an attempt to promote rights of older persons.
One such new initiative is the; "European Charter of the Rights and Responsibilities of Older People in need of long-term care and assistance".
The aim of the Charter is to complement and support the charters and other
measures which are already implemented in some countries of the European
Union and not to replace them. The Charter also aims to raise awareness
among a wider public, to stress the rights of the increasing number of
people receiving long-term care, and to foster best practices in Member
States and beyond. These rights are not fully respected today but our
ambition is to fulïŹ l them.
In this way the Charter aims to become a reference document setting out
the fundamental principles and rights that are needed for the wellbeing of all
those who are dependent on others for support and care due to age, illness
or disability.
Here is the link to the full text:
http://www.preventelderabuse.eu/doc/188.pdf

Friday, February 15, 2013

OsnabrĂŒck Statement - Rights of Older Persons and Europe


OsnabrĂŒck Statement
The conference, Strengthening the Rights of Older People Worldwide: Building Greater European Support, brought together participants from 25 countries in Europe and worldwide on 5-7 December 2012 in OsnabrĂŒck Germany.
Over 100 representatives from older people’s organisations, human rights organisations, development organisations, national human rights institutions, UN experts, government officials, European Parliament, Council of Europe, as well as legal experts, researchers, academics and older people themselves affirmed that the rights of older people need to be strengthened globally and that new international human rights instruments are necessary.
Participants recognised that civil society and political support for a UN convention on the rights of older persons is increasing across Europe and globally.
The Conference made clear the following fundamental points regarding the human rights of older people:
 Politics has not kept pace with the realities of demographic ageing and it is time to rethink legislation, policies and societal attitudes to ageing.
 Age discrimination is a fundamental gap in existing human rights legislation.
 Older people’s rights are universal, yet the fragmented nature of international human rights legislation has allowed violations to take place and go unrecognised in all parts of the world.
 Existing international agreements on ageing, such as the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), are not binding and not sufficient to protect the rights of older people.
 International human rights instruments, such as a UN convention on the rights of older persons, are needed to make the human rights system more effective at addressing violations of rights and discrimination in old age. They would do this by improving understanding of the rights of older people, strengthening reporting mechanisms and enabling better monitoring of UN Member States’ actions.
Participants at the OsnabrĂŒck Conference overwhelmingly recognised that political support within Europe is critical for achieving new international human rights instruments for older people and called upon European Governments and European Union institutions to do more to protect the rights of older people.
Endorsed by:
Age Action Ireland
Age International
AGE Platform Europe
Alicia de Jong-Davis
Alzheimer’s Association MĂŒnster e.V., Germany

Friday, January 25, 2013

How will a future international convention for older persons will look like?

The debate around the need for a new international convention for the rights of older persons is being held on  different levels. One of the levels is the international regional levels. Both the America and Africa have been moving much quicker on this front than the UN has.
OAS in specific has been very active, and has been working in the last two years very quickly and has been successful in moving forward in actually presenting a working draft for a regional convention in this field.
Here is a link for the documentations and protocol in this field:

http://www.oas.org/consejo/cajp/personas%20mayores.asp#Notice

To get a "feel" of this new regional instrument, here is the text of part of the proposed convention: see and feel:


PROPOSALS FOR ARTICLES 11 THROUGH 20 OF THE DRAFT INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION, BASED ON THE CONTENTS OF THE COMPENDIUM OF PROPOSALS ON THE DRAFT INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS, CAJP/GT/DHPM-44/12 rev. 2

(Presented by the Chair)


Article 11
Right to freedom and personal safety

Older persons have a right to freedom and personal safety, on an equal footing with others, regardless of the family or social environment in which they function.

The States Party shall ensure that older persons:

a.                   Enjoy the right to freedom and personal safety;
b.                  Are not illegally nor arbitrarily deprived of their freedom or personal safety, and that any deprivation of freedom be in accordance with the law, and that under no circumstances should age be used to justify deprivation of freedom.

The states party shall ensure that older persons who are deprived of their freedom because of a process have, on an equal footing with others, the right to guarantees in accordance with international human rights law and to be treated in accordance with the objectives and principles of this Convention, including being afforded reasonable accommodation.[1]/

The States party shall adopt appropriate measures to ensure older persons in facilities the freedom to move about and to protect their personal safety.


Article 12
Right to freedom of expression and to access to information

Older persons have the right to freedom of expression and opinion, the right to seek, receive, and offer information, on an equal footing with others, by means of all forms of communication of their choosing.

The States Party shall take all measures necessary to ensure the effective exercise of this right, particularly concerning long-stay public and private facilities in relation to:

1.         Informing older persons of their rights and of the legal framework applying to the facilities.

2.                  Ensuring older persons access to the various communication media.

3.                  Guaranteeing access to all technological information media, including social networks.


Article 13
Right to nationality and to freedom of movement

Older persons have the right to freedom of movement, freedom to choose their residence, and to hold a nationality. To ensure the effective enjoyment of these rights, the States Party shall adopt measures to ensure that older persons:

1.         Can exercise their right to acquire and change nationality and to not be arbitrarily deprived of their own.

2.         May not be deprived, for reasons of age, of their ability to obtain, possess and utilize documentation related to their nationality or other identity documents.

3.         May not be deprived, for reasons of age, of access to immigration procedures needed to ensure the exercise of the right to residence and to freedom of movement.

4.         Can exercise the right to leave any country, including their own.

5.         May not be deprived arbitrarily or for reasons of age of the right to enter their own country.


Article 14
Right to privacy and intimacy

Older persons shall have the right, regardless of their place of residence or their mode of living, not to be the subject of arbitrary or illegal interference in their private life, family, home, correspondence or any other type of communication, or of illicit attacks on their dignity, honor, and reputation, and shall be protected by the law from such interference or attacks.

Older persons are entitled to intimacy and to maintain their privacy during bathing or in the various activities of life in an institution.

States Party shall design the measures necessary to guarantee these rights, particularly at public and private long-stay facilities.


Article 15
Right to social security and to care

Older persons have the right to social security, which should include both contributory benefits and non-contributory insurance plans and benefits.

The States Party shall ensure that, within available resources, all older persons receive a permanent minimum income sufficient for a dignified life. Social security systems shall include retirement benefits and other sustainable means of social protection in the event of disability, widowhood, or other causes of loss of the means of livelihood because of circumstances beyond their control; as well as in instances in which they do not meet the requirements to enjoy old-age pension, either because they had not worked or did not complete the required minimum periods of contributions, and lack any other source of income.

            Older persons have the right to care and to comprehensive social protection that recognizes protection covering the areas of health, economics, promotion and coverage for social services, food security, housing, and education, promoting the idea of older persons staying in their homes and maintaining their independence and autonomy.

The States Party shall take measures designed to develop a comprehensive universal care system that takes particular account of a gender perspective.

In planning their social security policies, the States Party shall take fully into account the protection of family life, the needs of the various forms of families, other forms of care, and the full participation of older persons.

Article 16
Right to work and in the workplace

Older persons should have the opportunity to work and to pursue activities that enable them to obtain income.

Age-based labor discrimination is prohibited, as is the setting of an upper age limit for hiring a person for any job or employment, except in those cases in which the nature of the job so requires.

The States Party shall promote the trend toward equalizing the age and conditions of retirement for older men and older women, in accordance with social, cultural, and economic circumstances.

The States Party shall promote policies that take account of the characteristics of older workers, according to the working conditions and environment, as well as work hours and the organization of the jobs, as well as policies that prevent exclusion, and promote the voluntary entry and re-entry of older persons into the labor market.

Employment or occupation after the normal time of retirement should have the same guarantees and be remunerated with the same salary that applies to all workers for similar tasks and responsibilities.

The States shall promote programs and measures for the years prior to retirement that will facilitate a simple and gradual transition into retirement, with the participation of organizations representing employers and workers, and of other interested agencies, including the possibility of creating more flexible forms of retirement, or partial or gradual retirement.

The States shall adopt measures and programs that recognize and promote the contribution that older persons make by unremunerated work in the informal sector and in domestic work.

The States shall regulate work for older persons, as well as the various forms of self-employment and domestic work, with a view to preventing abuse of older persons and guaranteeing them adequate social coverage.


Article 17
Right to enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

Older persons have the right to enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health without discrimination based on age or any other condition.

The States shall establish and implement comprehensive policies for health promotion, prevention of illness, comprehensive care and rehabilitation, and even assistance for the terminally ill. To give effect to this right, the States Party pledge to take the following measures:

a.         Assure universal, equitable, and priority access to timely, quality comprehensive health services, consistent with international human rights standards; as well as the creation and implementation of integrated health and social services.

b.         Formulate legal frameworks and implementation mechanisms for the protection of older persons in long-term care services.

c.         Encourage international cooperation in terms of the design of strategies and exchange of capacities and resources to execute their plans on health and ageing as well as social services for older persons.

d.         Develop strategies that promote healthy personal and environmental behaviors throughout the life cycle in order to encourage active ageing.

e.         Strengthen prevention through self-care, knowledge of the pathologies, and the informed opinion of older persons in the treatment of chronic illnesses and other health problems.

f.          Establish services of quality for older persons by strengthening primary care-based health systems.

g.         Establish high-quality social healthcare services for older persons, based on the progressive care system covering home care, daycare centers, and long-stay facilities.

h.         Promote the development of specialized social healthcare services for comprehensive care of people with cognitive impairment, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

i.          Strengthen healthcare workers’ and social workers’ acquisition of skills for providing these services to older persons, as well as the training of specialized health professionals in geriatrics and gerontology.

j.          Promote training for other healthcare-related stakeholders taking into account their family ties and loving relationships.

k.         Strengthen the technical capacity of agencies responsible for gerontology issues–be they healthcare, programs, or social services–to be able to follow up on and evaluate health care for the senior population.

l.          Promote the gathering and publication of the scientific evidence needed to adapt interventions in health and social issues in aging to national circumstances.

m.        Support the social, economic, and psychological well-being of older persons infected with sexually-transmitted diseases, those who suffer from serious communicable and non-communicable diseases and those who suffer from other illnesses that pertain to ageing. For that purpose the States Party should promote older persons’ access to in-kind aid, affordable health services to enable them to meet the needs of their children and grandchildren affected by serious communicable and non-communicable diseases.


Article 18
Right to education

Older persons have the right to take part in educational programs at all levels and to make use of their knowledge and experience to benefit younger generations.

In order to ensure the effective exercise of the right of education of older persons, the States Party shall:

a.                   Promote the development of educational programs, materials, and formats that are suitable for older persons and that reflect their preferences and needs, as well as the use of information technologies or new techniques, and shall include education-for-health courses and self-care techniques.

b.                  Promote unstructured community-based programs for older persons that are geared to leisure, cultural and spiritual development, physical activity, and other forms of creative use of free time.

c.                   Facilitate access to and the active participation of older persons in formal and informal cultural institutions and activities, including volunteer activities.

d.                  Design and implement active policies to reduce illiteracy among older persons, and especially among women.

e.                   Promote access to education and training in new technologies by older persons, to minimize the generation gap and increase community integration.

f.                   Foster actions to promote the rights and empowerment of older persons by promoting continuing education processes.

g.                   Foster, through education, the transmittal of a positive and dignified image of old age.

h.                  Promote training in gerontology and geriatrics in undergraduate and graduate studies.

i.                    Take such legislative, administrative, and other measures as are necessary to reduce and progressively eliminate barriers and difficulties of access to educational goods and services in rural areas, particularly those related to information technology.

j.                    Take such measures as are necessary to promote and strengthen solidarity among generations and mutual support as a key component of social development.


Article 19
Right to property

Older persons have the right to fully exercise their right to property, not to be deprived of it for reasons of age, and the right to the effective enjoyment of inheritance rights.

The States shall establish the legal and administrative mechanisms needed to provide special protection for the property of older persons, especially against the abuse or occupation of their houses.


Article 20
Right to housing and a healthy environment

Older persons have the right to live in safe, healthy, and accessible environments that can be adapted to their personal preferences and capacities, and their continually changing capacities.

            Older persons have a right to live on their own for as long as is possible, and the States should provide them the home care services for this to happen.

Older persons have the right to a healthy environment that guarantees access to basic sanitation services, clean water and air, and that minimizes their exposure to pollution.

The States shall guarantee the right of older persons to appropriate housing, particularly in crises, emergencies, humanitarian disasters, displacements and internal migration, or evictions.

The States should adopt policies to promote the right to housing and access to land, ensuring access to credit, on equal terms, recognizing allocation to older persons as priority. The policies should pay particular attention to:

a.                            the need to build housing units architecturally tailored to the restricted mobility and physical disabilities of older persons
b.                           
CP29746E04
 
the need to address the specific needs of older persons, particularly those who live alone, by means of rent subsidies, housing cooperatives, support for housing renovations, and other pertinent measures.

The States should guarantee security of tenancy possession and protection against forced evictions of older persons.


[1].      “Reasonable accommodation” means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms; (United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities).