GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, OPENING ASSEMBLY"S DEBATE 0N AGEING, SAYS THEME OF YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS FOUNDED ON INCLUSIVENESS

Press Release
GA/SM/106

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, OPENING ASSEMBLY’S DEBATE 0N AGEING, SAYS THEME OF YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS FOUNDED ON INCLUSIVENESS

Following is the opening statement by the President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), to the General Assembly as it met to follow-up on the International Year of Older Persons (1999) in New York on 4 October:

I welcome to the United Nations those of you who have come for this important meeting from different parts of the world and I wish you all a pleasant stay in New York.

The theme of the International Year of Older Persons, “Towards a society for all ages”, is founded on the basic idea of inclusiveness, which should inform human relations, family cohesion and social development that strengthen the society.

In this sense, the theme of ageing links us to an early period of the evolution of the society and community interdependence when older persons were revered for their wisdom and as repositories of traditions, customs and past achievements. This is, indeed, a welcome sign of a return to our roots and humanity.

For these reasons, the presence in this Assembly Hall of so many senior government representatives and other esteemed participants from their capitals demonstrates the importance which Member States attach to the issue of ageing of persons and populations.

Questions relating to ageing have been on the United Nations agenda as far back as 1948. The noble ideals and objectives enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enjoin us to strive towards creating and maintaining human societies based on family values of loving and caring among all members of the family. Elders, parents, youth and children are all linked together through reciprocal relationships which continuously enrich their common heritage.

It was not, however, until the adoption of the International Plan of Action on Ageing by the World Assembly on Ageing held in Vienna, in 1982, that states and the civil society started adopting public policy and other concrete measures to deal with ageing. This Plan of Action is now the central policy document of the United Nations discussions and activities on ageing.

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The United Nations General Assembly has taken significant steps since the World Assembly on Ageing to underscore the importance which Member States attach to the issue of ageing. These steps include: The designation, in 1990, of 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons; the adoption, in 1991, of the United Nations Principles for Older Persons; and, in 1992, the agreement on the Global Targets on Ageing for the Year 2001. In addition, in 1992, the General Assembly proclaimed 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons.

In that Proclamation, the Assembly urged the international community to give generous support to national initiatives on ageing consistent with national cultures and social conditions in relevant countries. It is thus encouraging to see that in the course of this International Year, focal points have been established in more than 100 Member States. This clearly indicates that more and more nations are recognizing a significant increase in the population of their older citizens, who are now living longer. Perhaps more importantly, there is growing awareness of the extraordinary speed with which these numbers will grow in the years to come, sooner rather than later. These facts, I believe, have major implications for our thinking, attitudes, commitment and public policy of nations.

Our Secretary-General points out in his report (A/54/268), entitled "International Year of Older Persons, 1999: Actions and Legacies", that legislative initiatives have been undertaken or reinforced and strategies to deal with ageing put in place by some Member States.

The central theme of the International Year of Older Persons has drawn its inspiration from the World Summit for Social Development held in March 1995, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since the Year's theme was first introduced in the Secretary-General's report of 1995 (A/50/114), its core ideas have been developed to the point where it is now possible to suggest a model for the development of a policy framework on ageing. This model is aiming to present a new way of assessing ageing of individuals and populations in a more holistic way. Surely, this is the best approach.

I am confident that, over the next two days, the debate will be characterized by new ideas and a renewed commitment to the Proclamation on Ageing, which calls for the “recognition of humanity’s demographic coming of age and the promise it holds for maturing attitudes” and innovations in political, legal, social, economic, cultural and spiritual fields as our collective and determined way of preparing ourselves towards social justice, global peace, human and development equality in the next century. “Towards a society for all ages” is a solemn exhortation directed at us all for an enlightened and goal- oriented debate on the challenges and the opportunities alike that it conveys.

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