ASSEMBLY LOOKS AT IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT, CONSIDERS PROBLEMS OF ELDERLY POOR

Press Release
GA/9626

ASSEMBLY LOOKS AT IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT, CONSIDERS PROBLEMS OF ELDERLY POOR

When coupled with the adverse effects of widespread and pervasive poverty, the phenomenon of ageing would have far-reaching implications on the efforts of developing countries to achieve sustained economic growth and social development, the representative of Pakistan told the General Assembly this afternoon as it continued its considerations of the follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons (1999).

As a number of speakers remarked, the phenomenon of ageing had been more pronounced in developed countries, where reduced fertility and declining mortality rates had transformed the age structure of populations. This transformation was having an impact on the patterns of labour migration in those countries, and on their economic and political policies, the Pakistani representative explained. Meanwhile, the ageing of populations was expected to occur much more rapidly in the developing countries. The commemoration of the International Year provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the likely impact of the demographic revolution on various societies and to develop appropriate strategies and policies to meet the new challenge.

Also commenting on the demographic revolution, the representative of Panama said the repercussions of that process must not go unnoticed. "We must realize that the older adult population represent a challenge to humanity which warrants a commensurate response", she stressed.

The Observer for the Holy See said many of the aged were fragile and ill and did not have access to adequate health care. Some institutions did not want to maintain the chronically ill or those unlikely to recover. Because of the reduction in income after retirement, many older people found themselves living near the poverty level with inadequate government schemes. The elderly also suffered from loneliness and marginalization, since they were often deemed unproductive and considered a burden. In urban areas, older workers were often regarded as ineffective or unprepared to take on new tasks, and encountered active discrimination when seeking work. Since most adult children were working, most elderly parents were often left without affectionate, caring presences to fill their loneliness.

The representative of Zambia said that in spite of the acknowledged achievements and contributions of older persons to modern civilization, the world did not appear to have paid much attention to their specific needs and roles. With due regard to the disparities that existed between developed and developing countries, there was a need to allocate adequate resources to programmes and

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9626 26th Meeting (PM) 5 October 1999

institutions serving older persons in all countries. He stressed that the situation of older persons was made even worse by the gap between the rich and the poor within any given society.

The Assembly decided to take action at a later date on a draft resolution on follow-up to the International Year, which was introduced by the representative of the Dominican Republic.

The acting President of the Assembly, Roberto Jordan Pando (Bolivia), informed the Assembly that following the adjournment of the plenary meeting, there would be a special non-governmental organization (NGO) presentation so that Member States could hear about NGO activities on the issues concerning older persons.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the Minister of Social Affairs of Cameroon, and the representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Uruguay, Belarus, Grenada, Sri Lanka and El Salvador.

The Assembly will meet again tomorrow, 6 October, at 10 a.m., to begin its consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its consideration of follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons (1999). It had before it a report of the Secretary-General on that issue and a related draft resolution. (For background information, see Press Releases GA/9622 and GA/9624 of 4 October.)

Statements

PATRICK ALBERT LEWIS (Antigua and Barbuda) said that persons over 65 made up over 8.2 per cent of his country's population. The protection of that significant number of older persons posed a challenge to existing social and health services. That challenge was becoming ever more acute considered in the light of the changes in family structure and the gradual breakdown of community support systems. Many older persons were living alone with minimal financial support and without assistance to perform basic household and other tasks. In October 1998, an awareness campaign was launched to dispel myths and stereotypes about elders. His Government had elaborated a draft policy on ageing, based on the proposed Caribbean Charter on Health and Ageing.

He said a pillar of Antigua and Barbuda's draft policy on ageing was the awareness that extended life expectancy was not synonymous with the enjoyment of good health. Several government programmes had been identified to provide health services to the elderly, including outreach clinics, district doctors, and medical benefits and social security schemes. Private agencies and institutions also played an active role in the care of older persons, and the Government collaborated regularly with them. The main goal of such programmes as Home Help Workers and Welfare Aides Service was to maintain older persons in their homes and communities for as long as possible, by meeting their personal care needs, thereby helping to relieve some of the loneliness and stress that the elderly themselves had identified as a main concern of their generation.

ALAMGIR BABAR (Pakistan) said that the International Year provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the likely impact of the demographic revolution on various societies and to develop appropriate strategies and policies to meet the new challenge. The phenomenon of ageing had been more pronounced in developed countries, where reduced fertility, together with declining mortality, had transformed the age structure of populations, causing an impact on patterns of labour migration, as well as economic and political policies of developed countries. The ageing of populations was expected to occur much more rapidly in the developing countries, where, coupled with the adverse effects of widespread and pervasive poverty, it would have far-reaching implications on those countries’ efforts to achieve sustained economic growth and social development.

As a country with 40 per cent of its population in their teens, Pakistan was likely to be affected acutely by the phenomenon of ageing, he said. The main focus of its International Year activities had been a vigorous public awareness campaign to educate the young about the impending challenge and its likely impact on society. At the same time, the Government had taken various steps to ensure that older persons continued to participate actively in the social, economic and political life of the country. It had announced a package of subsidies for elderly people, including 50 per cent discounts on rail and air fares, and free access to recreational centres, museums and libraries. His Government was endeavouring to assist the traditional family system face the pressures of modern life and rapid urbanization, which were putting strains on informal support structures in Pakistan.

JOEL ADECHI (Benin) said that, in Benin, as in many African countries, long life was regarded as a sign of divine grace. The longer people lived, the more importance was placed on their contribution to the society. The elderly in his country were regarded as a very valuable repository of wisdom and information. Globally, population ageing could be viewed as a result of technological progress.

He recommended that problems related to the issues of the elderly not be tackled only in terms of communication between young and old, and integration into society, but also on the basis of a recognition that the dignity in which the elderly had expected to live out their years had become threatened by wars and economic deprivation. In accordance with the Vienna Plan of Action, his Government had established programmes to help older persons control their lives. Those included income-generating projects and micro-credit schemes. Benin also perceived the strengthening of family ties as an important area to be examined in addressing elder issues.

MARY MORGAN-MOSS (Panama) said that older persons constituted over 7 per cent of her country's population. That figure would rise to 8.1 per cent by the year 2000. The decline in fertility, low infant mortality rates and lengthening life expectancy created certain phenomena. As they got older, women began to outnumber men. The difference between those two sexes was due to the general tendency of men to run greater health risks while women were more oriented towards prevention.

The highlight of her country's commemoration of the International Year had been a week dedicated to the older person, she explained. Education and communication activities had also addressed ageing, while a national decree had established a single, nationwide set of rules to govern nursing homes throughout her country. The repercussions of the demographic revolution must not go unnoticed. "We must realize that the older adult population represent a challenge to humanity which warrants a commensurate response", she said.

JULIO BENITEZ SAENZ (Uruguay) said that urbanization, industrialization, the changing role of women and the transformation of the workforce had a great impact on the phenomenon of ageing. In Uruguay, during the years 1990-1995, the proportion of the population under 15 years old had declined by 2 per cent, while that of people over 65 had grown by 1.5 per cent. Over the same period, life expectancy at birth had risen from 70 to 74 years. The consequences of those changes would affect the labour market and social and health-care systems.

A series of activities had been held in Uruguay in observance of the International Year. The goals of the national policy on ageing included promoting awareness of the concept of productive ageing, meaning that ageing was part of the social development and that older persons could play an important role in their families and in the economy, in general. In 1997, the International Forum on Ageing had adopted the Montevideo Declaration, focusing on such issues as social security, health promotion, community services, productive ageing, multi- generational relationships and preparations for the International Year.

ALYAKSANDR SYCHOV (Belarus) stated that protection of older persons was a basic aim of his Government, as there were more than 2 million older persons living in that country, with almost 1,000 over the age of 100. In commemoration of the Year, Belarus had established a public commission headed by the Deputy Prime Minister. The main premise of the plan that had emerged from that effort was enlistment of the active participation of each ministry, as well as non- governmental organizations (NGOs), in the provision of elder care and services. The focus was on practical steps that would provide assistance and social services for older people.

He said his Government had also adopted a model programme for maximizing delivery of social services. In rural communities, there were almost 200 centres providing such services. An important part of the programme dealt with veterans’ rights. Earlier this year, the pension scheme had been revamped, and a statistical reference book with data relevant to the elderly had been published.

MARIE MADELEINE FOUDA, Minister for Social Affairs of Cameroon, said the problem of old age had strong cultural dimensions. It was seen in different terms in different cultures. In Africa, old age was the beautiful age where the elderly were venerated as repositories of wisdom. Young people learned about life through their elders, whose deaths were mourned as a great loss to the community. An old person who died was said to be a "library that had burned down". The older person generally evolved within the family circle. The assistance provided to elders by a family was a sacred duty which the young were happy to do. The Western practice, based on socio-economic realities, of separating older people from their families and putting them into nursing homes was unknown in Cameroon; it would be seen as a dereliction of duty.

Today, however, despite the existence of family structures, urbanization was creating independence, she said. Apartments were smaller, children no longer lived with parents, and structural adjustment policies reduced the availability of jobs. Her Government had established an ageing policy. Children had an obligation to provide assistance to their parents; neglect of one's elders was punishable by law. Special geriatric services had been created in certain health- care facilities. A literacy programme had also been started for the elderly. Nonetheless, confronting the problems of ageing was a challenge to a developing country such as hers, which also had to battle against widespread poverty.

PETER L. KASANDA (Zambia) said that the fight against unemployment, social disintegration and poverty could not be meaningfully waged unless measures were taken at the international, regional and national levels to address adequately the socio-economic problems that were inevitably associated with social development. Such measures must respond to the situation of the youths, ageing, disabled persons and the family. The commemoration of the International Year of Older Persons was a recognition that it was by the foresight and commitment of the older persons of today that the world had enjoyed high levels of human development.

He said that, in spite of the acknowledged achievements and contributions of older persons to modern civilization, the world did not appear to have paid much attention to their specific needs and roles. With due regard to the disparities between the developing countries, there was a need to allocate adequate resources to programmes and institutions serving the older persons in all countries. He stressed that the situation of the older persons was made even worse by the gap between the rich and the poor within any given society.

LAMUEL STANISLAUS (Grenada) said that it was fitting that one of the highlights of the turn of the century and the beginning of a new millennium should be the International Year of Older Persons. Noting that many countries had adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, he stressed that Grenada, with scarce financial resources, only recently improved the lives of pensioners by granting a healthy increase in their monthly allowance.

He said that the new forward-looking role envisaged for older persons was in contrast with that at the beginning of the twentieth century. Then, life expectancy had been 20 years less than today, and any older person who had no family had no access to social services and support.

JOHN DE SARAM (Sri Lanka) said his country had established and implemented an action plan for the International Year. That plan focused on: raising awareness of the problems of an ageing society; providing a special identity card for older persons; improving health-care facilities; inaugurating a social security system for those older persons not entitled to government pensions; home help schemes; and training programmes for retired government officers.

He said his Government was totally committed to its action plan. A national committee had also been established to work out a national policy to improve the welfare of older people. The objective of his Government was to provide adequate leadership and initiatives in policy formulation to ensure a healthy environment in Sri Lanka for senior citizens.

CARLOS ENRIQUE GONZALEZ (El Salvador) said his Government recognized that the increase in the population of older persons represented a challenge to which an appropriate response had to be found. He reviewed steps it had taken over the past decade to improve the status of the elder. El Salvador's national policy had been designed to achieve the integration of older persons in national social and economic life. Programmes were meant to be extended to include all persons, particularly those residing in the countryside and marginalized parts of the city. Otherwise, older women and other groups of older persons might run the risk of lacking access to services due to gender and race discrimination.

The principle of democratization was applied so that all could enjoy an excellent standard of life, he continued. Ongoing economic development and intergenerational dialogue were fundamental tools for building a society for all ages. To that end, the Government of El Salvador had decentralized special services and created geriatric units to cater to older persons.

Archbishop RENATO RAFFAELE MARTINO, Observer for the Holy See, said that society was undergoing demographic change; persons over 60 represented a significant segment and an important factor in any attempt to plan for social development. However, for too long the elderly had been neglected and invisible. Many of them were fragile and ill and did not have access to adequate health care. Some institutions did not want to maintain the chronically ill or those who were unlikely to recover. The reduction in income that came after retirement meant that many older people found themselves living near the poverty level. Government schemes were generally inadequate. As a result, the aged sometimes cut back on their food intake, and nutritional deficiencies ensued.

Among the worst problems of the aged were loneliness and a sense of marginalization, as they were often deemed unproductive and were too often considered a burden to others. In urban areas, older workers were often regarded as ineffective or unprepared to take on new tasks, and they often encountered active discrimination when seeking work. None were more marginalized than the elderly without family connections. Since most adult children were working, when aged parents needed help, they were often left without affectionate, caring presences to fill their loneliness. He noted that Catholic hospitals had been pioneers in palliative care. Pope John Paul II had often stressed the importance of the work done to assist the elderly; in particular, he had said, "the so-called third age is ... a value in itself by the very fact that life is prolonged and life itself is a gift of God".

JULIA TAVARES DE ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic) introduced the draft resolution.

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