'SILENT REVOLUTION' OF WORLD AGEING HAS ECONOMIC, SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS
Press Release
SG/SM/6727
SOC/4474
'SILENT REVOLUTION' OF WORLD AGEING HAS ECONOMIC, SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS
19980930 Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, observed 1 October 1998:We live in an age to which many labels have been attached. It is the post-cold-war age, the post-industrial age, the age of the Internet, the age of globalization. Our time is also, undeniably, the age of longevity.
In the second half of the twentieth century, 20 years have been added to the average lifespan. Within 30 years, one third of the population in the more developed countries will be over age 60. The world as a whole will reach that proportion by 2150. And the older population itself is ageing. Today, about 10 per cent of the population over age 60 is already age 80 or older. This will rise to 25 per cent before the year 2050.
These and other ageing trends are changing family structures. The traditional pyramid in which there are many youth and few elders is giving way to the opposite -- an inverse pyramid of one child, two parents, four grandparents and several great-grandparents.
There is also a significant gender dimension to this portrait of humanity's "coming of age". Women nearly everywhere are living longer than men. Women are more likely than men to be poor in old age. They face a higher risk of chronic illness and disability, discrimination and marginalization. Women are also more likely to be care-givers and sometimes face a triple burden: child care; elder care; and, of course, seeing to their own well-being. But these contributions -- to their families, communities and the economy -- are often overlooked.
In short, we are in the midst of a silent revolution. It is a revolution that extends well beyond demographics, with major economic, social, cultural, psychological and spiritual implications. And it is a revolution that hits developing nations harder than others and not just because the majority of older persons live in developing countries, but because the tempo of ageing there is already -- and will continue to be -- far more rapid. Developed
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countries have been dealing with the graying of their societies for some time now, with mixed success. Developing countries, as they do when faced with many other global challenges, will find their situation much more acute.
It is fitting that the last year of this millennium has been designated as the International Year of Older Persons, with the theme, "towards a society for all ages". A society for all ages is one that does not caricature older persons as patients and pensioners, but instead sees them as both agents and beneficiaries of development. A society for all ages is multigenerational. And a society for all ages is committed to creating an enabling environment for healthy lifestyles as people age.
The International Year of Older Persons gives us an opportunity to move in this enlightened direction. Without for a moment forgetting the tragic exceptions generated by violence, disease and poverty, for most people around the world, lives are lengthening. Life is becoming less like a short sprint and more like a marathon. There is great potential in an age of ageing. On this International Day of Older Persons, on which we launch the International Year of Older Persons, let us resolve to realize that potential.
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