Kathmandu, July 30

A regional body called South Asia Senior Citizens’ Working Group has been established in Kathmandu.

This comes following the conclusion of a two-day workshop on ‘South Asia Senior Citizen’s Workshop’ jointly organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and National Senior Citizens’ Federation, Nepal from July 11 to 12.

Representatives from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and other SAARC countries attended the workshop.

According to a press release issued by NDCF today, the SASCWG was established on the basis of the 36-point Kathmandu Declaration signed during the 18th SAARC Summit meeting in 2014 with focus on the special needs of the elderly population in the region.

The working group also reaffirms commitments to the Older Peoples’ Rights enshrined in the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002; General Recommendation number 27 of the CEDAW Convention on the protection of the Human Rights of Older Women (adopted in 2010) and Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to leave no one behind in order to create an inclusive society for all by 2030.

The working group aims to work closely with the respective governments, NGOs and civil society members of the region in order to improve the well-being of the ageing population. South Asia Senior Citizens’ Working Group will recognise, promote and protect human rights of older people as manifested in the policies, programs and legal instruments for senior citizens in the South Asia region.

The newly established regional body will also maintain close liaison with the global network, which helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty so that they can lead a dignified, secure, active and healthy lives and act jointly as a pressure group for an UN Convention on the rights of Older Persons, said the release.

At present the region is experiencing a huge demographic transition due to increase in the life expectancy, decline in mortality and fertility rates and improvement in the basic health care and living standards.

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, at present about 66 per cent of world’s ageing population live in low and middle income countries, which will rise to 77 per cent by 2050 and less developed countries, including the South Asian Region, will be the home to these huge ageing population.

It is thus important that older persons in the SAARC region soon collectively raise a common voice, to encourage governments for better recognition of realities they face, to better-implement and strengthen ongoing social protection measures through easy access and delivery of basic needs, including economic and health security for older men and women, read the release.