By A Representative
A dedicated, legally binding international treaty is needed to protect older persons from age discrimination, social exclusion, poverty and barriers to healthcare and social protection, speakers at a recent SHE & Rights session have said.
The session, organised ahead of the Inter-Governmental Working Group (IGWG) on the human rights of older persons, highlighted gaps in existing international human rights frameworks and called for stronger government accountability to ensure dignity, equality and security in old age.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has established the working group with a mandate to draft a legally binding treaty addressing the human rights of older persons. The demand for such protection dates back to 1948, when Argentina proposed a “Declaration of Old Age Rights” during the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Khaled Hassine, Secretary of the Inter-Governmental Working Group at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said older persons remained insufficiently visible in official statistics, human rights reporting and accountability mechanisms. He stressed that age discrimination and ageism, which includes stereotypes, prejudice and exclusionary practices, continued to be inadequately recognised and addressed.
Experiences of ageing are shaped by social, economic and personal circumstances throughout life, Hassine said, adding that the under-representation of older persons in data and reporting often resulted in their needs being overlooked in policymaking and public services. A dedicated treaty would provide a coherent global framework to ensure that older persons could effectively exercise their rights, he argued.
The session was jointly organised by the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI) and CNS, in collaboration with the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP), the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), the Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media), and Development Justice for Older Persons (DJ4OP).
Shobha Shukla, Executive Director of CNS and coordinator of SHE & Rights, drew attention to the limited representation of older persons in international human rights monitoring. She said exclusion was often rooted in systemic barriers, prejudice and patriarchy, which could leave marginalised groups outside policy discussions and protection frameworks.
According to Shukla, only 681 of more than 124,539 recommendations made under the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism since its establishment in 2008 had addressed older persons, accounting for approximately 0.5 per cent of the total.
Rachel Rieille, Data Manager at CeHDI, presented the Health and Rights Observatory, a free, publicly accessible interactive platform that connects UPR recommendations with health indicators. She said that of approximately 29,000 health-related UPR recommendations, only 144 specifically addressed the health of older persons. Although governments had supported approximately 92 per cent of these recommendations, the issue remained significantly underrepresented.
The observatory can help civil society organisations and policymakers track government commitments, assess responses and identify gaps in health rights, Rieille said. Such evidence could also support monitoring mechanisms under a future international convention.
Rose Gahire, Co-Chair of GAROP, said a legally binding treaty could clarify governments’ obligations, strengthen accountability and build on existing international and regional standards. The instrument should address discrimination affecting older persons’ independence, employment, participation in policymaking and protection during conflicts and natural disasters.
“Ageing is universal, but ageing with dignity, security and respect is not yet a universal reality,” Gahire said.
She emphasised that older persons were not a homogeneous group and that their experiences were influenced by gender, disability, poverty, race, ethnicity, migration, displacement and geographical location. Existing regional instruments, including the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa, which came into force in 2024, could provide foundations for a global convention, she added.
The principle that “nothing about older persons without older persons” should guide the treaty process, Gahire said.
Feminist scholar Dr Pam Rajput called on civil society organisations to participate actively in shaping the proposed treaty and ensure that intersectional discrimination was addressed. She urged negotiators to build on existing standards, including the 2015 Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons, which recognises multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.
Older persons should be recognised as active rights holders whose wisdom, experience and contributions benefit society, rather than being viewed merely as recipients of care and protection, Rajput said.
The discussion also highlighted the challenges facing older people living with HIV. Nicoletta Policek, co-founder and director of PRISMA, the European community-driven observatory on ageing and HIV, said the ability of people living with HIV to grow older represented a major scientific and collective achievement. However, many continued to face discrimination, breaches of confidentiality, barriers to social protection and fragmented healthcare.
Policek, who has lived with HIV for 42 years, called for community-led evidence to inform public policy and accountability. People ageing with HIV should be involved in defining priorities, evaluating services and monitoring government commitments, she said.
She also stressed the importance of bodily autonomy, sexual health, freedom from violence and discrimination, and dignified care, particularly for older women. “Living longer must also mean living with rights, dignity and the power to shape our own lives,” she said.
Tariro Kutadza, Advocacy Lead at the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV and founder-leader of TB People in Zimbabwe, and Daxa Patel, co-founder and former president of the National Coalition of People Living with HIV in India, highlighted the combined challenges of multiple health conditions, stigma, isolation and treatment difficulties among older people living with HIV.
They called for stronger peer-support networks, integration of HIV care with healthy-ageing services, improved social protection, community-led monitoring and more person-centred, gender-responsive services.
Ishwari Swar, founder-chairperson of the Senior Citizens Welfare Association Nepal, described the difficulties faced by older people in rural Nepal, where youth migration has left many communities with limited family support, accessible healthcare and adequate social protection. Despite existing legal safeguards, weak implementation, insufficient budgets and limited access to essential services continued to undermine older persons’ rights, she said.
Indonesia’s experience offered examples of practical measures to improve the lives of older persons. Dr Imran Pambudi, Director for Vulnerable Groups at the Ministry of Health, outlined initiatives including integrated primary healthcare, free health checks, community-based long-term care and disability-inclusive services.
Older persons should be viewed not only as recipients of care but also as valued contributors to society, Pambudi said. He called for stronger health systems, sustainable financing, support for caregivers and improved international accountability.
“Ageing is a triumph of human development; our responsibility is to ensure that everyone can experience it with dignity, health and meaning,” he said.
Participants stressed that the UPR mechanism and tools such as the Health and Rights Observatory could help governments identify shortcomings, track commitments and adopt targeted recommendations to improve the protection of older persons’ health and human rights.
They said a legally binding international treaty would provide an opportunity to address persistent gaps in protection and ensure that older persons, including those from marginalised communities, could enjoy their human rights on an equal basis.
“Human rights do not diminish with age. Dignity has no expiry date,” Gahire said.
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