Kerala Declaration
Declaration from the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People’s
Asia Pacific members workshop
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 14 November 2019
We make this urgent call from GAROP members in Asia Pacific States to the OEWG on Ageing to accelerate the work relating to the adoption of a new UN convention on the human rights of older people.
As per World Population Ageing 2017 statistics, the global aged population (60+) which was 382 million in 1980 more than doubled itself to 962 million in 2017 and it will again more than double to 2.1 billion in 2050 – more than one-fifth of the global population. The majority of this population is in Asia and will continue to be so in 2050 also.
The Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (the Working Group) was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 65/182 in December 2010 for the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons. The Working Group’s mandate was extended by General Assembly Resolution 67/139 in December 2012, which requires the Working Group to present proposals on the main elements of a new international legal instrument to the General Assembly, at the earliest possible date.
We believe that a legally binding UN convention on the rights of older persons is essential for all older people to fully enjoy all their human rights without discrimination on any ground or combination of grounds.
The case for a new UN convention has become stronger with each of the Working Group’s ten sessions to date. The Working Group has now heard ample and convincing evidence of significant failures of existing human rights instruments and procedures to devote adequate attention to older people’s human rights. The fundamental framing elements of a convention continue to take normative shape. However, at the current rate it would take at least several more years to debate all the areas of human rights listed in the report of the 7th session of the Working Group. We older people cannot wait indefinitely for justice.
We therefore underline the urgent need to strengthen the promotion and protection of our rights in this region and world-wide. We call on Member States to ensure that the Working Group fulfils its mandate as a matter of priority, and to support the drafting of a new international instrument to commence no later than 2021. We see no justification for further delays.
The above Declaration is endorsed by the following members of GAROP from the Asia Pacific region:
Ageing Nepal |
Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia Society-Nepal |
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS), Jordan |
Ardager, Kazakhstan |
ARGA Foundation, India |
Arjon Foundation, Bangladesh |
Asia Pacific Forum on Families International (APFAM Int.) |
Association for Social Solidarity and Empowerment Training Trust (Asset), India |
Bangladesh Association for the Aged and Institute of Geriatric Medicine (BAAIGM) |
Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament |
Care Rights, South Korea |
Centre of Gerontological Studies, India |
Console Mission, Nepal |
Development Welfare and Research Foundation, India |
DOBARA, Hyderabad, India |
Ecumenical Commission for Human Development, Pakistan |
Elders Clubs International Foundation, India |
Forum for the Rights of the Elderly, Bangladesh (FREB) |
Free Forum For Rights, Nepal |
Gharonda Public Charitable Trust, Pune, India |
Gramin VIkas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), India |
HelpAge International |
HelpAge Korea |
International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) |
Lanka Fundamental Rights Organization, Sri Lanka |
Middle East Academy for Medicine of Ageing, Lebanon |
Nepal Participatory Action Network (NEPAN) |
Nobo Jatra Foundation, Bangladesh |
Pahel Pakistan |
PROGOTI, Bangladesh |
Rajadighi Community Health Service Society |
Resource Integration Centre (RIC), Bangladesh |
Senior Citizen’s Welfare Association Nepal (SCWAN) |
Silver Inning Foundation, India |
Shirakat – Partnership for Development, Pakistan |
Social Advancement through Unity (SATU), Bangladesh |
Society for Community Organization and Rural Education (SCORE), India |
The Centre for Elderly Empowerment & Care (Ehsan), Qatar |
The Pass It On Network |
Women for Human Rights, Nepal |