State of the World's older people 2002

A long life should be everybody's right, but for older people in developing countries today, longevity can be a double-edged sword. I remember a group of older people in northern Thailand telling me they had never expected old age to be so stressful and difficult. For those who are poor, aging often means next burdens and worries about making ends meet. 'I have to get money to eat,' an Indonesian woman said at a consultation. 'I don't like it but I have no choice.' Aging is a major structural issue for the 21st century. The figures alone are startling. In developing countries the proportion of older people is predicted to rise from 8 to 19 per cent by 2050, with the proportion of children falling from 33 to 22 per cent. In Asia and Latin America the numbers of older people will rise fastest. Older people, especially older wolpen who live longer, are also among the poorest in the developing world. Poverty eradication strategies cannot work unless they include older people. State of the world's older people 2002 is an urgent call to understand how population aging is affecting the developing world and to recognize that older people have the same right to fulfil their basic needs as other age groups. The report takes as its starting point the views and experiences of older people themselves, drawing on consultations organised by Help Age International in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and eastern and central Europe. In 1999, the International Year of Older Persons, HelpAge International published The Aging and Development Report: poverty, independence and the world's older people. State of the world's older people 2002 identifies changes since that time, and emphasises how much still needs to be done to push aging issues up the international agenda. At the Second World Assembly on Aging in Madrid in April 2002 governments will sign up to the new International Plan of Action on Aging 2002. But agreeing the plan is only the beginning of a process. The key issue is how the plan is implemented and monitored. The challenge is to mainstream aging issues into development processes and related international commitments. So far, aging is marginal in development debates. The International Development Targets and the UN's Millennium Development Goals largely ignore the question of how increasing numbers of older people case escape chronic poverty and be included in planning for the future of communities and nations. The report identifies three essential pillars for policy and action on aging: equal rights for older citizens; a fair share of national and international resources; and inclusion in decision-making and in civil society.