CIHC and IIHA Advocate for the Rights of Older Persons in Crisis at the United Nations

New York — Fifteen years after the international community ratified the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, the Center for International Humanitarian Cooperation and the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs illuminated the plight and called for the rights of older persons at the United Nations Secretariat in New York City.

Humanitarian Action for Older Persons: Fifteen Years After Madrid, a CIHC side event of the 56th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development, featured interventions from fellows of the IIHA, Ambassadors from Japan and El Salvador, and representatives of the International Rescue Committee and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Panelists addressed the national and international frameworks and projects that serve older persons and underscored the ongoing challenges in providing ageing populations with adequate humanitarian services.

IIHA Research Fellow on Ageing Ann Pawliczko, Ph.D. opened the event by introducing the inevitable effect that increased life expectancy will have during crises.

“We can expect more older persons to be affected by humanitarian crises and to comprise growing percentages of displaced populations. It is, therefore, essential that disaster risk reduction and preparedness plans as well as humanitarian aid during and after crises recognize and address the unique issues, needs and contributions of older persons and harness their experience in ways that benefit them and their communities,” she said.

His Excellency Ambassador Rubén Hasbún of El Salvador represented the Group of Friends of Older Persons, a diplomatic collective of countries convening on the promotion and protection of human rights of older persons. The ambassador stressed the vulnerability of older persons and called for the UN and its allies to “mainstream ageing and issues of relevance to older persons into development policies,” including in the UN’s current mission to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development around the world.

Similarly, His Excellency Ambassador Toshiya Hoshino of Japan spoke to the experience and lessons learned in responding to older persons in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami — where 65 percent of those killed were over 60 years old. Japan has the largest percentage of older persons in the world and is one of the most natural disaster-prone countries.

The country’s disaster risk reduction and management mechanisms, therefore, take the unique needs of older persons into account when crafting and implementing disaster risk reduction policies, plans and guidelines. The Ambassador hailed information technology systems in Japan that communicate life-saving information to older persons before, during and after emergencies as a critical component of humanitarian response and recovery. He also emphasized the importance of regarding older persons’ wisdom and experience as valuable assets and integrating them within disaster response frameworks, consistent with the Sendai Framework 2015–2030.

Andrew Painter, Senior Policy Advisor at UNHCR, spoke to the disproportionate impact of displacement on older persons in both emergency and protracted crises. These include health and physical limitations, disruption of social networks, loss of crucial services, and shifting cultural or familial roles, and ultimately isolation. However, he also encouraged the humanitarian community to embrace the contributions of this population.

“There is a very common perception…of older persons as passive, dependent, waiting for aid as opposed to the vital contributors to their community that they can be and that they are: playing roles as leaders of their communities, serving as resources of guidance for advice to younger generations, transmitting cultures and skills and crafts, contributing to the well-being of their families in many respects and even contributing to peace and reconciliation processes.

For humanitarians, as for all, the challenge in programming is to address the very specific and real needs of older persons but in the context of empowering older persons to really play these roles in communities where they find themselves,” said Painter.

Sandra Vines, Director for Resettlement at International Rescue Committee, also elaborated on the need for protection among older refugees who are resettled in the United States. She spoke of the IRC initiative to help older refugees achieve self-sufficiency through a strengths-based approach by assisting them to access health care, transportation, housing and other services to allow them to thrive.

“Elderly refugees are very resilient and flexible… (they) can live successful and happy lives in the US,” said Vines.

Sylvia Beales, consultant on Ageing and Inclusive Social Development, pointed out that it is essential to ensure that older persons are included in the implementation of the various frameworks, charters and other mechanisms that address disaster planning and response. She drew particular attention to the five steps of the Inclusion Charter — participation, data, funding, capacity, and coordination — to deliver impartial and accountable humanitarian assistance that responds to vulnerability in all its forms, and reaches the most marginalized people, including older persons.

In conclusion, IIHA Research Fellow Rene Desiderio, PhD, noted that while there are noteworthy initiatives addressing the special needs of older persons, such as strengthening and investing in disaster risk reduction, preparedness, resilience, and governance, much more needs to be done.

“With millions of older persons in many parts of the world affected by conflicts, fragility, and vulnerability, and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, the Agenda for Humanity calls for action to reduce suffering, risk, and vulnerability and that no one is left behind. Moreover, it places an emphasis on ‘reaching the furthest behind first’. It is …a call to all stakeholders, to all concerned citizens, to all of us to get involved or continue to be involved and collectively ensure that older persons are not forgotten and that no older person is left behind,” concluded Dr. Desiderio.

Humanitarian Action for Older Persons: Fifteen Years After Madrid was convened by the Center for International Health and Cooperation and the Institute for International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, the Group of Friends of Older Persons (GoFOP), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Clare Bollnow, IIHA Research Intern

Angela Wells, IIHA Communications Officer