As life expectancy rises, talks start on a UN treaty to protect older people

A file photo of two elderly people walking. (Pexels/Omar Ramadan)

GENEVA - A United Nations meeting this week heard calls for an end to ageism and better protection against what campaigners say are hidden abuses as negotiations began on a treaty to strengthen the rights of older people.

The week of talks in Geneva ending on Friday were initiated and chaired by Argentina in efforts to combat exclusion, discrimination and neglect as life expectancy rises. The UN projects that the number of people over 65 will double in the next 50 years to become a fifth of the world’s population.

“Our objective is not just to address the needs of the present, but also to prepare a system that can meet the needs of the future,” said Carlos Mario Foradori, Argentina’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva.

“This goal is to build an instrument that strengthens the dignity, protection, and the rights of millions of older persons globally.”

Brazil, Slovenia, the Philippines and Gambia are the proposed treaty’s other main backers, and Chile and South Africa were among countries that voiced support in the week-long talks.

Negotiators are set to meet again in Geneva in October and it is not clear how long negotiations might last. It can take years for such treaties to be agreed on.

Although there are already human rights treaties that have non-discrimination clauses based on race and gender, none exist for age.

“There are many situations where people are not fully protected by existing law,” said Heidrun Mollenkopf, President of AGE Platform Europe, a network of older people.

“It’s completely hidden what’s going on,” she told Reuters, referring to what she said were abuses in nursing homes by carers that have included chemical restraints to control the behavior of people with dementia.

There had even been cases of homicide, she said, without identifying such incidents.

‘Pervasive’ ageism

A UN-appointed independent expert on the human rights of older people recommended reforms in a 2021 report, saying ageism was pervasive globally and that deeply embedded stereotypes about age were informing laws and policies.

Rights groups refer to examples such as mandatory retirement ages, age limits on jury duty and diminished cancer screening offers for people above a certain age.

“There are age restrictions that go completely unchallenged,” said Bridget Sleap, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, a rights watchdog. “The idea that people should just stop working because they have a birthday, it’s arbitrary.”

Informal UN meetings on addressing discrimination against older people have taken place since 2011 but campaigners say the high proportion of COVID-19 deaths among the aged increased the momentum for formal negotiations.

Successive heatwaves in Europe that have disproportionately killed seniors and prompted some governments to provide support have also increased the pressure, campaigners say.

Margaret Gillis, 67, founding President of the International Longevity Centre Canada, said she expects a “fight.” She said autocratic states could try to water down a treaty, and other states might resist if they feared new healthcare costs.

“I hope a treaty will come in my lifetime,” said Mollenkopf, who is 85. “But I’m afraid it might not.”

Reporting by Timothy Heritage.