2008 IFA President's Award
Recipient: Ms. Helen R. Hamiln
The IFA is proud to announce that Ms. Helen R Hamlin, a
member of our Board of Directors and IFA's Main Representative at the United
Nations in New York,
was named the recipient of the 2008 IFA President's Award. IFA President Mrs. Irene Hoskins made the
presentation to Ms. Hamlin in a special ceremony at the 9th Global Conference
on Ageing in Montreal.
The IFA President's Award is presented at each global
conference to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and service
to both the IFA and to the field of ageing.
Helen has a long and distinguished career combining social work and
ageing, and her energy and enthusiasm are as remarkable today as ever. Indeed, this was not the first honour
bestowed on Ms Hamlin this year for her exceptional efforts; she was also the
recipient of the 2008 Maggie Kuhn Award for her commitment to older people.
At the United Nations, she is highly regarded
by both her UN and NGO colleagues and has ensured that the IFA is represented
at every major initiative on ageing ever launched by the United Nations. Helen has been particularly instrumental in
disseminating the UN Principles for Older Persons, which remain to this day the
only comprehensive human rights statement dealing with older persons.
We are also pleased to acknowledge the generous support of
Philips Lifeline Canada
in sponsoring this year's award to Ms Hamlin.
Philips Lifeline Canada has demonstrated leadership in their own right
for the contributions they make every day in enabling older people to remain independent and within their communities across Canada. If you would like more information about how
Philips Lifeline is making a difference, please visit their website at this
link.
|
|
Senior Officials Meetings 2008:
A tremendous success
|
The 2008 Senior Officials Meeting, held on September 4th
in advance of the 9th Global Conference on Ageing, was a tremendous
success. Delegates representing governments from nearly forty countries
around the world listened to presentations, shared their experiences and
participated in lively discussions on the major policy theme Ageing-in-Place. The IFA is commited to creating opportunities for connection and exchange between all those with a stake in ageing. We intend to build
upon the positive outcomes of this Senior Officials Meeting meeting and provide programming of the highest standards
at meetings in the future.
The success of the 2008 meeting can be attributed in large
part to the quality of the presentations made by delegates discussing
experiences of Ageing-in-Place from their own jurisdictions. The IFA is pleased to announce that many of
the presentations made at this meeting - as well as Summary Reports of Ageing-in-Place initiatives by country - are now available on the IFA website at this link. We invite you to visit us online to discover how governments around the world are responding, and be sure to check back regularly as more country reports become available in the coming weeks.
We would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous financial support for the 2008 meeting provided by the Federal Government of Canada through the Department of Human Resources and Social Development and
the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as the Provincial Governments of
Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland
and Labrador, Nova Scotia
and Quebec.
|
October 1st is the International Day of Older Persons
Since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 45/106 in
December 1990, October 1st has been designated as the annual International
Day for Older Persons. The Resolution to
create a day of recognition followed initiatives such as the Vienna
International Plan on Ageing, which itself was adopted by the 1982 World
Assembly and endorsed by the UN General Assembly later that year.
Each yearly celebration is based around a particular theme of great
importance. The theme for the 18th
Annual Celebration of the International Day for Older Persons is the "Rights of
Older Persons." This year's theme was chosen to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Activities at the United Nations include a special meeting held at the UN Headquarters
on October 2nd, organized by the New York NGO Committee on Ageing in
cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Department
of Public Information. The meeting will
be opened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, and keynote speakers include Mr.
Sergei Zelenev, Chief of the Social Integration Branch, Minister Paulo de Tarso
Vannuchi from Brasil and many others.
For the full programme of this event, please click here. |
|
Follow-up to the Second World
Assembly on Ageing
Report of the Secretary-General
Marking the five-year anniversary of the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002, the Report of the Secretary General in Follow-up to the Assembly has been made available. This report summarizes the outcomes of the
first review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
(MIPAA), along with reviews conducted by regional organizations in November and
December 2007 in anticipation of the global evaluation.
The report tracks developments and makes recommendations for
governments and other interested sectors based on three distinct demographic
trends in ageing: rapidly ageing, moderately ageing, slower ageing societies.
Recommendations for action vary significantly depending on the
demographic situation of each society, where for example rapidly ageing societies
should focus on promoting healthy lifestyles, while slowly ageing societies
should place an emphasis on ageing as a
development issue.
In addition, the report provides an outline of the strategic
implementation framework requested by the General Assembly. Highlighting both
national and international programs that have advanced the goals of the MIPAA,
it commends both governmental and non-governmental programs that have played
active roles in achieving the outcomes of the MIPAA. The IFA is recognized for having furthered
the 'mainstreaming' of ageing into national development plans. The report
concludes by listing recommendations for the General Assembly to consider
when it is formalized by the General Assembly in its 63rd Session.
The full report is available here. For more information on
the 63rd Session of the General Assembly, please click here.
| | |
The Status of Human Rights in the United Kingdom
Age Concern England's response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's inquiry
In April 2008,
the United Kingdom's
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) began inquiries into the
status of human rights in the country. The
Commission's goals through this inquiry process are to understand and raise awareness on the rights issue, encourage good practices that incorporates human rights at all levels, as well as challenge
public authorities to respect the Human Rights Act of 1998. In preparing its final report, the EHRC called
on individuals, organizations and service providers in the United Kingdom (UK) to
contribute their own perspectives.
In support of the EHRC's call, Age Concern England submitted an organizational report this
September detailing its own human rights efforts, and offering a
perspective on the status of rights of older people in the UK. Age Concern is a leader in supporting and
advocating for the rights of older people in the United Kingdom, and in the
report brings attention to its major efforts such as the 'Hungry to be Heard'
campaign on malnutrition in hospitals and its Mental Capacity Advocacy Project. While highlighting key examples of good
practice and positive steps being taken by public authorities and organizations, Age Concern's report also notes that there are still many barriers preventing the full
realization of the Human Rights Act - notably the lack of leadership and willingness to promote human rights, and a failure to turn policy in practice.
It is the intention of the EHRC to use the findings contained in its final
report to advance the human rights agenda in the UK. Age Concern England
supports this initiative in hope that it will be a catalyst for real movement and improvements on the issue. The full text of
Age Concern's response can be found at this link: Equality and Human Rights Commission.
|
|
Profile of an IFA Director
Dr. Elizabeth Mestheneos
 Dr. Elizabeth Mestheneos is a new member of the IFA team, being elected to the Board of Directors by its members in September 2008. Originally from Greece, Dr. Mestheneos is a UK-trained sociologist who has worked as an independent social researcher, primarily with the Sextant Research Group in Athens since 1991. There she undertook a
wide range of European Union (EU) funded research projects related to ageing, refugees, civil society and the labour market.
Dr. Mestheneos has been deeply involved in a number of key organizations in Europe, notably as a founding member of 50+ Hellas in 2006, a new Greek NGO devoted to promoting the well
being and social inclusion of all older people primarily through information,
advocacy and research. She has also been a major figure at AGE-Platform (an EU
umbrella organization bringing together older people's organizations from
across the 27 Member States with over 25 million members), being elected President in March 2008 after serving as Chair and Vice President
since 2005, as well as the Greek Council Member.
Her leadership roles notwithstanding, she has continued to contribute as a researcher and writer. Among her most notable recent publicatons include The
Family that cares for older dependent people (2006), "Pensioners and refugees:
social and individual strategies in confronting changed status" (2006), and Supporting
Family Carers of Older People in Europe: the
Pan-European Background Report (2005).
|
|
 HelpAge International
Regional Meetings for 2008
HelpAge International is a network of more then 70 affiliate NGOs in over 50
countries working together supporting practical programmes, giving a voice to
older people, and influencing policy at local, national, and international levels.
HelpAge operates with the vision where all older people fulfil their potential to lead
dignified, healthy and secure lives. This fall, HelpAge International is
holding their 2008 regional affiliates and partners' meetings.
The Latin America Regional meeting was held in Bogota, Colombia
between September 8th and 11th, with an agenda that included network development and HelpAge's Age
Demands Action project.
The Africa Regional meeting was held in Nairobi, Kenya
between September 15th and 17th September, with issues on the agenda such as health, social protection, emergencies and branding.
The Caribbean Regional meeting will be the next in the series, and will take place in Barbados
between the 6th and 10th of October. This meeting will focus on such areas as social protection and emergencies.
The Asia/Pacific Regional will be the final in the 2008 series, occuring in Bali, Indonesia
between the 13th and 16th of October. Issues of health, branding and network development will top the agenda for discussion.
For more information on these meetings, on HelpAge International, and their affiliates please click here.
|
Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity
through action on the social determinants of health
A new report on social equity and health from the World Health Organization (WHO)
In the spirit of social justice, the Commission on Social Determinants of
Health was established by the WHO in 2005 to marshal the evidence on what can
be done to promote health equity, and to foster a global movement to achieve
it. The Commission recently released a
report entitled Closing the gap in a
generation analyzing the impact of social determinants on health equity, and
calling for the closing of the health gap within generations. The report argues that it is essential that
governments, civil society, the WHO, and other global organizations come
together to improve the lives of the world's citizens.
Where concepts of
social justice are applied to issues of health equity, it affects the way
people live, their consequent chance of illness, and their risk of premature
death. While it is a real triumph that
life expectancy and good health continue to increase in many parts of the
world, it is equally alarming that they fail to improve in many others. Even within countries there are dramatic
differences in population health, and these variations are often closely linked
with degrees of social advantage or disadvantage.
Differences of this magnitude, within and between
countries, should never happen. These
avoidable health inequalities arise because of the circumstances in which
people live, work, and age as well as from the health and care systems put in place to deal with
illness. These conditions are in
turn shaped by political, social, and economic forces. Social and economic
policies are determining factors as to whether a person can grow, develop and
enjoy a quality of life, or on the other hand experience unnecessarily poor health.
This substantial report
examines these and other issues in great detail. To
read the full text, please click here.
|
| "Uprooting poverty is a moral duty, not social welfare"
The Work of the Albania Society for All Ages: ASAG
|
 Despite the power behind this statement, too many times ineffective programs are used to reduce poverty in many countries. In Albania, issues of poverty are particularly poignant among the elderly.
One
consequence of the high levels of poverty among the elderly in Albania is the alarming rate of suicides among that age group. In response, the Albania Society for all Ages (ASAG) initiated an awareness
campaign in December 2006 entitled "Poverty, the cause of suicide among the elderly".
Two years later, the issue of poverty among older people has begun to resonate with the Albanian government, where the Council of Ministers have discussed a number potential legal initiatives for improving conditions in nursing homes
for the elderly. Confronted with the realities of an ageing population, which is augmented by a 20 year trend of out-migration by younger generations, the government is starting to recognize issues of importance to the
elderly and the many consequences an ageing popualtion may have.
Such recognition is important where even today, poverty, ageism and political powerlessness have concealed many of the challenges confronting the elderly in Albania.
Among its recommendations, the ASAG
proposes national recognition of the International Day on Elderly Abuse (June 15th) to foster awareness and action in the country. Recognition of this day would bring even greater attention to the issues of the elderly, act as a catalyst for a national strategy/plan on ageing, and ensure that necessary laws are put in place with the
full cooperation and engagement of the government. This day highlights ASAG's
unwavering support and action on the war against poverty and social exclusion.
More information about the ASAG and its work and the situation of older people in Albania can be found in their latest report, available here. |
We would like to thank all those that made the 9th Global Conference on Ageing a success, and we look forward to further communications with you in the coming months.
We hope to see you in Australia in 2010!
| |
International Federation on Ageing 
