SECOND WORLD ASSEMBLY ON AGEING NGO FORUM
April 2002,Madrid,Spain

DRAFT PLAN OF ACTION

Proposals made by Justice Sans Frontières ( JSF ) of the Democratic Republic of Congo

4765,Colonel Ebeya,C/ Gombe
B.P. 647 Kinshasa 23
République Démocratique du Congo
Tel :00243 780 36 72
Fax :001212 430 65 45
Email :[email protected]

NGO FORUM PROGRAMME OF ACTION

This Plan of Action is informed by the following principles :

1-Aging is a normal human process, it affects all generations in some way .Dealing with issues of concern to older persons inevitably involves other generations. For younger persons, it involves ensuring that they will benefit from the wisdom of their elders, as well as preparing for their own ageing.

2-Older persons should enjoy all the rights found in the Covenants on Civil and Political, and Economic ,Social and Cultural Rights. Ensuring that older persons live free of poverty, exploitation neglect and replete meaningful roles and fulfilling recognition of their role and status in society becomes increasingly important .

3. Like any other segment of the population , older persons have a right to participate in decision – making about them . This is particularly important when plans and programmes are developed.

4. The goals should be to ensure that :

- all older persons are enabled to participate fully and productively in society as long as they wish and that this contribution is recognized and honoured
- older persons are able to complete their transition with complete security
- all older persons achieve the maximum health attainable with the full support of their societies.

LEGAL MEASURES

We the NGO FORUM ON AGEING :

5. Recognizing that older persons should enjoy all of the rights found in the covenants on Civil and political , Economic , social and cultural fights

6. Recognizing that there is considerable evidence that older persons are discriminated against in employment access to health and social services and other rights.

In some countries they are faced to retire at specific ages, especially in public service. In other countries health services are not available to meet their needs . In other countries , older persons, especially widows, may lack inheritance rights . In many countries if employed , older persons are given low – paying jobs . In other countries ,they are without any proof . arbitrarily accused to be witches and held accountable for unemployment of youth , early deaths in society and other misfortune in the community.
They are especially vulnerable to all forms of violence and abuse including torture, degrading treatment , war , conflicts and population displacement .

7. Recognizing that global economic institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization are dominated by the G7 countries and that they perpetuate economic and social injustices in the developing nations , call upon the United Nations to urgently review and address the structural imbalances and inequalities in such institutions meet all human rights standards and universal values.

8- Recognizing that globalization reinforces the exploitation and exclusion of developing countries from the full benefit of economic and political and social development call upon Governments to cancel the debts of developing countries.

9-Recognizing that whilst States are signatories to International and Regional instruments, yet seldom comply with their obligations in terms thereof call, thus perpetuating a culture of impunity. We therefore call upon all states to ratify without reservation, and implement all international and regional instruments .In particular :
-The international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
-The international Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
-The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and its additional Protocol
-The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman Degrading Treatment or Punishment
-The Vienna Declaration and Program of Action
-The African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights
-the OUA Convention Relating to the status of Refugees
-The First Optional Protocol to the convention on the elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women allowing for the submission of individual and group complaints
-All ILO Conventions as well as UNESCO instruments
-The world Plan of Action adopted by the World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 37/51 of 3 December 1982
-The United Nations Principles on Older Persons.

The Following measures should be addressed :

10- Urge States to adopt an international convention against discrimination on the basis of age

11- Recognizing the 1998 Ilo Declaration on Fundamental principles and Rights at work wich holds Goverrnments responsible for respecting and promoting a set of fundamental rights for workers,including freedom of association,the elimination of forced labour and the prohibition against discrimination in employment

12- Recognizing the value and importance of the binding generan comments issued by the United Nations Principles on Older Persons,we call upon states to :

13- Develop in accordance with the Article 71 of Part 2 of the Vienna Declaration a Program of Action that requires « each State to consider the desirability of drawing up a national plan identifying steps whereby the State would improve the protection and promotion of human rights

14 -Craete effective National institutions on human rights and equality. These institutions should be independent and have the power to monitor the implementation of anti-discriminatory legislation, to provide assistance and legal aid to victims and their families, to have recourse to judicial authorities, and to have investigative, enforcement and policy making powers. These institutions should reflect in their composition, the diversity of the society at large. They should be funded adequately and should function without interference from the State and with all the guarantees necessary for their independence and impartiality.

15- Adopt and implement comprehensive legislation expressly prohibiting age discrimination in all spheres of life, including but not limited to education, housing ,employment, health care social services access to citizenship access to public places and all other good and services available to the public ..Such legislation should integrate a full gender dimension.

16- Ensure the protection of persons or organization that lay complaints and report incidents of age and related intolerance.

17-Ensure that ,in accordance with international human rights standards all groups and persons whose rights have been violated have access to reparation.

18. Call upon the United Nations to Organize a follow-up conference in 2007 in order to evaluate the progress made by states, governments and civil society in the field of ageing and to put place mechanisms to monitor implementation at an international level of all regional and national action plans.

HUMAN RIGTS OF OLDER PERSONS

19. – We call on states to ensure that:

- Older persons enjoy all of the rights found in the covenants on civil and political, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- Older persons live, free of poverty, exploitation neglect, abuse and violence, as well as criminal actions;
- Governments develop programmes to sensitize law enforcement officials to the need to prevent violations of older persons rights;
- The concern of older persons are reflected at the political level. Many of the needs of older persons can be addressed by older persons them selves and the governments should support organizations of older persons.

20. We strongly call on the United Nations to adopt, within one year from this world Assembly on Ageing, an international convention against discrimination of the bases of age.

AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT

21. - We call on states to:

- Review and mandatory retirement laws and regulations with a view to eliminating them;
- Eliminate all references to mandatory retirement of age from laws, regulations and employment contracts and examine retrenchment results to ensure that age is not the basis for determining redundancy. Older persons should be enabled to work should they wash to;
- Provide tax credits to companies who hire on retrain older works;
- Adopt policies that facilitate the obtaining of credit by older persons wishing to start their own enterprises.

PENSION SYSTEMS AND RETIREMENT

22. Governments should begin to plan new approaches to pension systems that will secure sufficient savings for persons who will joins the ranks of older persons over the next twenty years;

20. National pension systems should be designed to permit contributions by persons wording in other countries so that they can have security when they return. National pension schemes in receiving countries should permit payment of pensions to persons in their countries of origin.

21. National Pension Systems should be subject effective oversight to ensure that they are managed effectively in the interest of their participants.
22. Governments should develop and promote savings schemes, including through cooperatives, to allow persons working in the informal sector to save for their later years in a secure way.

23. Existing pension plans should be reformed to guarantee the security and dignity of older persons today and elements added that would ensure their viability for future generations.

24. Governments should take steps to ensure supervision of private pension plans to ensure that they correspond to legal requirements.

25. International financial organizations should support reform and strengthening of pension systems as a means of ensuring growth with equity in the transition period.

HEALTH

26. Health is a significant issue for older persons. It has physical, psychological and emotional dimensions. Health policies must respond to both dimensions.

27. healthy aging requires of older persons an attention to their lifestyle, to public institutions the need to provide essential services and to the community the need to support the health needs, especially the needs of older persons for social interaction and support.

28. Governments, with the support of international organizations and the cooperation of organizations of older persons, should develop and implement education campaigns on the possible benefits of healthy life styles and the dangers inherent in for example, alcohol, dry dependency, smoking and the failure to take appropriate nutrition.

29. Governments should support the development of voluntary groups that promote the gathering of older, persons in order to maintain their health through physical exercise, information on nutrition, social interaction and other activities.

30. Appropriate priority should be given by governments to developing rend maintaining preventive health for older persons as a part of primary health care, including setting up special clinics.

31. Governments and non-governmental organizations should organize information campaigns focusing on the main health concerns of older persons in each country.

32. Studies should be undertaker on the use of health services by older persons with a view to improving the design of public health services to meet the needs of older persons.

33. Governments should use vacant space in hospitals for the establishment of rehabilitation centers for older persons and develop simplified procedures for health resort treatment of those who with it.

34. All governments should have a department of ageing in the ministry of health.
35. The world health organization should help developing countries build a capacity for health care services for older persons.

36. Medical and nursing school curricula and paraprofessional training programmers should include issues related to geriatric medicine and healthy needs to older persons. Programmers to provide younger persons with training in the health care of older persons should be encouraged.

HIV/ AIDS

38. Human behavior is based on individual choices, but there is a public responsibility to make information available about the consequences of these choices and to provide services to encourage older persons to make health choices.

39. In Africa Countries, older people are at higher risk for HIV infection because of the failure and the neglect of Governments, NGOS, the private sector, and media to ensure the development and implementation of public information campaigns in plain and accessible language, aimed at raising awareness among elderly people.

40. In order to effectively address HIV / AIDS, Governments should implement a comprehensive, multisectoral program consisting of the mutually reinforcing components of prevention, treatment, care, community support and health infrastructure, including culturally sensitive educational programs and specific of programs aimed at reducing the vulnerability of older persons to HIV infection which include public information campaigns in plain and accessible language.

OLDER PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

41. We urge upon states to ensure specific programs of optimal rehabilitation including access to assisted devices and technology, education, recognition of informal skills, job integration without discrimination and equitable remuneration.

42. We call upon states to address the stigmatization of disability through a wide range of strategies promoting disability awareness and the rights of persons with disabilities to equitable access to, and equitable shave of national resources.

43. We call upon states to develop relevant protocols to ensure representation and participation of older persons with disabilities in the decision making process of states and communities at all levels.

HOUSING AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

45. Provision of housing is a concern for many older persons. Older persons often require public transportation in order to remain mobile and participate in community activities.

46. We call upon states to take steps to assure that low-cost appropriately designed and environmentally friendly housing is available to older persons who need it. Efforts should be mode to design housing programs that emphasize cooperative or shored arrangements.
47. We call upon states to design public transportation systems to take into account the needs of older persons.

48. We call upon states to adopt legislation that mandates the use of accessible universal design for all public buildings and all private buildings open to public use, in accordance with the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.

MASS MEDIA

49. Mass media should be encouraged to present a fair and accurate picture of older persons in relation to other generations.

OLDER WOMEN

50. Elderly Women Suffer numerous discriminatory acts and behaviors founded on ideologies of male supremacy that have historically and systematically denied women full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

51. In some countries, customary laws discriminates against women in inheritance, forcing older widows into penury.

52. Discrimination against older women in inheritance rights in laws, the application of laws and in custom should be eliminated as called for in the Beijing Platform for Action.

THE CIVIL SOCIETY

53. National and international non-governmental organizations should undertake a compaign to publicize and support the united principles on older persons.

54. Non-governmental organizations should make training available to older persons in conflict resolution and mediation skills.

55. Non-governmental, community, religious and other organizations should facilitate increased exchanges between generations.

56. Non-governmental organizations in partnership with Governments and the private sector should develop programs to train older workers in skills that are appropriate to the new organizational structures, and provide training to older persons in new technologies, in environments that are adapted to their learning styles.

57. Non-Governmental Organizations should promote and encourage the creation of community organizations of older persons to engage in advocacy, health care, income generation projects and the like.

58. International non-governmental organizations should assist in the formation of advocacy groups from and for older persons.

59. Non-governmental organizations should create the necessary conditions in order to generate the establishment of regional and international networks on ageing in order to monitor the situation of older persons around the world and to exchange information on these issues.

Pierre SHINDANO

President , Justice Sans Frontières