PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR SECOND AGEING ASSEMBLY SUSPENDS SESSION, DECIDES ON RULES FOR NGO PARTICIPATION

Commission for Social Development

Acting as the Preparatory Committee for

 Second World Assembly on Ageing

7^th Meeting (PM)

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR SECOND AGEING ASSEMBLY SUSPENDS SESSION,

DECIDES ON RULES FOR NGO PARTICIPATION

The Commission for Social Development acting as the preparatory committee for the Second World Assembly on Ageing suspended its resumed first session this afternoon until late November or early December.  It approved the draft rules of procedure for the ageing summit, as well as three draft decisions, including on the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the event.

Amid growing concern over the intensifying speed and scale of global ageing, the event seeks to advance the global ageing agenda beyond the existing action plan and address the dramatic force of population ageing and its impact on development and institutions, particularly in the developing world.  Thus, it is laying the groundwork for a revised International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted in Vienna in 1982.

In its first action today, the Committee approved a revised draft text by which the General Assembly would urge all Member States and other actors to contribute generously to the United Nations Trust Fund for Ageing in support of preparatory activities, including the participation of least developed countries.

According to another revised draft text approved today, on the participation of non-governmental organizations in the World Assembly, representatives accredited to the summit would be permitted to address the ad hoc Committee of the Whole, and time allowing, the plenary.

Following a brief suspension of the meeting, the Committee approved the draft provisional rules of procedure for the Second World Assembly.  After a second brief suspension, the Committee approved a revised and orally amended text defining the accreditation requirements of NGOs attending the preparatory process and summit. 

Also by that text, relevant United Nations bodies would be urged to assist those NGOs that do not have resources, in particular NGOs from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to participate in the event.

An earlier resolution of the General Assembly stressed that the ageing summit should focus on appropriate forms of public/private partnership, including with NGOs at all levels, for building “societies for all ages”.  It invited NGOs

in the field of ageing, as well as research institutions and representatives of the private sector, to participate in and contribute to the World Assembly and its preparatory process.

Following adoption of the drafts, the representative of Brazil said he would have favoured much broader participation of NGOs, as well as academic groups.  Civil society had much to contribute to the deliberations, but for the sake of consensus, his delegation had agreed to the texts.

The Director of the Division of Social Development, John Langmore, updated delegations on the technical meeting recently held in Vienna that was charged with providing expertise on drafting the final outcome document for the summit.  It had been a particularly effective event and the discussion was lively and valuable. The report of the technical committee meeting would be posted on the Internet as soon as it was completed in about three weeks.

Head of the Programme on Ageing, Alexandre Sidorenko, added that the current stage in the process was crucial since it allowed the Secretariat to embark on the final status of the revised draft.  The meeting, the third in a series, had focused on the objectives and recommendations, which would be reviewed by the preparatory committee at its resumed session later this year.  He acknowledged the contribution of the Government of Austria in the organization and financing of the technical committee.

A number of delegates expressed concern about the time left to draft a final outcome document that would address the main issues of ageing in a way that would be acceptable to all.  The representative of the Dominican Republic proposed the convening of open-ended informal consultations to discuss related issues.  The results could be made available to the Preparatory Committee.

Similarly, the Moroccan representative recommended the convening of inter-sessional meetings before the second substantive session since negotiations on the main text had not even begun.  An additional session would enable the Committee to produce a draft that met expectations and objectives.

Committee Chairman Felipe Paolillo (Uruguay) said that a third resumed first session had already been planned for November, but “we would see”.  He was grateful for everyone’s participation in the meetings, which had been productive “this time”.  He looked forward to the reconvened session and the upcoming informal consultations.

The report of the resumed first session of the Preparatory Committee would be finalized in June.  The texts approved today would be available on the Internet later in the week at www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing.

The Preparatory Committee will meet in a further resumed first session at a date and time to be announced.

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