An Open Letter to the UN General Assembly’s Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing that was originally published on 20th September at a side event on human rights in older age during the 48th Human Rights Council has now attracted further signatories ahead of the 12th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing next week. The Open Letter calls for clear action on older people’s rights and is signed by 336 non-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions, and other stakeholders.

The Open Letter highlights the lack of concrete progress made by the OEWG despite the need to fulfil the its mandate being more urgent than ever. The letter supports the proposal made by Argentina in the 11th session to establish an intersessional group to advance the work of the OEWGA by commencing the drafting of the main normative elements of an international legal instrument during the inter-sessional period. It also calls for this intersessional group to be composed of experts from member states, civil society organizations, and national human rights institutions, with the involvement of the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons as well as other relevant experts among the UN human rights mechanisms and special procedures mandate holders.

You can read the full text of this letter and see the list of signatories by country here.

You can watch the recording of the side event ‘Human rights in older age: Towards the elimination of ageism and age discrimination’ here.