Details of the Fourteenth OEWG Session

The fourteenth session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG14) will take place on 20th to 24th May 2024. The session will still take place over four full days, but the 23rd May will be an ‘off-day’ due to the UN observance of the Buddhist holiday of Vesak.

Official updates about the session will be shared on the UN’s official OEWG website in due course.

Focus areas of rights

The call for written inputs is now open. The deadline has now passed. Guiding questions for each focus area are available on the official OEWG website.

The call is for Substantive inputs on the two new focus areas of the 14th session, namely:

  • Accessibility, infrastructure and habitat (transport, housing and access)
  • Participation in the public life and in decision-making processes

There is also a call for Normative inputs, in the form of normative content for the development of a possible international standard on the protection of the rights of older people, on the following focus areas:

  • Social Inclusion
  • Right to Health and Access to Health Services

The substantive debates at the fourteenth session will include further discussion around these four focus areas.

Accreditation for NGOs

The call for applications for NGO accreditation to the UN’s Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) is now closed. If your NGO has been accredited before you do not need to re-apply again. 

You can read more about accreditation to the OEWG and its benefits here.

NGO participation in the UN session

Registration for delegates of accredited NGOs attending the 14th OEWG session is now closed. For more information and to registration please visit the official website.

Information about how to register to make oral statements in the session is available in our these GAROP guidelines and more information and guidance will be shared with NGOs at upcoming virtual and in person preparation meetings ahead of the 14th session.

Side events

The call for side event applications is now closed.  

NGO preparation meetings

GAROP is planning to to work in partnership with some of our New York-based members again to organise OEWG14 preparation meetings for NGOs and National Human Rights Institutions as in previous years.

In partnership with AARP and the NGO Committee on Ageing New York, we are planning an in person preparation meeting on the afternoon of Sunday 19th May from 13:30-16:30 EDT for NGOs and NHRIs. The workshop will be held at AARP’s offices at 750 Third Avenue, 31st floor, between 46th and 47th streets and will be in English only. A programme for this workshop is now available here.

GAROP also organised a virtual preparation meeting by Zoom on Wednesday 24th April from 07:00-08:30 EDT for all NGOs and NHRIs planning to follow the OEWG session even if they are not attending in person in New York.

NEW! NGO morning briefings this year

Due to tighter restrictions at the UN this year, we are not able to hold the NGO morning briefings in the UN building each day. We are exploring the option of a virtual morning briefings instead and as well as other opportunities for us to convene to discuss progress and advocacy inside the UN building through the week and outside of the UN building on Thursday 23rd May in the afternoon for NGOs and NHRIs. Contact Ellen Graham for more information: info@rightsofolderpeople.org.