intergenerational dialogue

The Impact of Storytelling on Isolation in Older Adults

IFA Global Cafe: In Conversation with Dr. Victor Kuperman and Ms. Nancy Siciliana

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of connecting, communicating, and storytelling within the dialogue of isolation. The “Niagara Stories” project – run through a partnership between McMaster University, the Seniors’ Computer Lab Project, and Cyber Seniors’ Connected Communities Niagara – has allowed the opportunity for open conversations amongst Niagara residents. The project highlights the impact storytelling has on the sentiments of isolation, as well as how people communicate experiences through interaction and language.

To share their comprehensive insights, the Niagara Stories project organizers – Professor Victor Kuperman and Ms. Nancy Siciliana – will be leading a discussion on “The Impact of Storytelling on Isolation in Older Adults” in the IFA Global Cafe series.

Register herehttps://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlf-2sqjkqHtdEuypehon2jHv5tF0fp9fh

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu.

Multi-stakeholder meeting on older people’s human rights

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is organising a multi-stakeholder meeting on 29-30 August 2022 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, room XVII. This hybrid meeting will take place both in person and online.

NGOs are encouraged to attend in person if possible. You do not need to have ECOSOC status to participate. You can register now via the Indico system here.

The multi-stakeholder meeting is a follow-up to the Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 48/3 (read more here) and will discuss the recent report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Further information and relevant documents are available here.

Objective:

This two-day meeting will bring together key stakeholders for a discussion on the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons and the dispersiveness of international human rights law. The meeting will take stock of the progress made, assess the remaining challenges, identify opportunities and develop concrete proposals to accelerate efforts to close the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons.
The report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons (A/HRC/49/70) will inform the discussion.

Outcome:
A summary report with conclusions of the meeting that includes recommendations on addressing possible gaps and the dispersiveness of international human rights law with regard to older persons, will be submitted to the Human Rights Council by its fifty-second session.

Mandate:
In its resolution 48/3, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human to convene a multi- stakeholder meeting to discuss the report of the High Commissioner on the normative standards and obligations under international law in relation to the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons.

The meeting will be fully accessible to persons with disabilities, and held with the participation of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, human rights experts and expert representatives of Member States, the treaty bodies and the special procedures, regional mechanisms, the United Nations system, academia, national human rights institutions and civil society, including with the meaningful and effective participation of older persons and of persons of different ages.

The meeting will consist of an opening segment followed by a series of interactive panel discussions and a closing segment. Initial presentations by the panelists will be followed by two segments of interventions by participants and concluding remark from the panelists. A maximum of one hour will be set aside for the podium, which will cover the panelists’ presentations and their responses to questions and concluding remarks. The remaining hour will be reserved for two segments of interventions from the floor, with each segment consisting of interventions from States, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. Speaking time for participants wishing to take the floor will be two minutes.

29 August Agenda

Opening session

Session 1: Gaps and challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the deficiencies in international and national frameworks for older persons in dramatic and tragic ways. While the pandemic seriously affected many groups, its consequences have been amplified by existing structures of inequality and disadvantage. This session will focus on identifying existing and emerging human rights protection gaps and particular risks facing older persons, as well as promising practices in responding to them.

Session 2: Adequacy of existing mechanisms in responding to the challenges

The aim of this session is to discuss current practices and identify recommendations on how the UN human rights mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review) can enhance the integration of the human rights of older persons in their work. As noted in the report of the High Commissioner (A/HRC/49/70), the engagement of the UN human rights mechanisms on the human rights of older persons is not adequate, systematic nor sustained. The session will also highlight lessons learned from the Inter-American system of human rights on the protection of older persons as well as the important role played by national human rights institutions.

30 August Agenda

Session 3: Strengthening coordinated actions for the protection of older persons
This session will identify opportunities for strengthening synergies and joint actions across global and regional networks and initiatives on ageing to integrate and promote the human rights of older persons.

Session 4: Towards strengthening the protection of human rights of older persons
The objective of this session is to develop proposals and recommendations for strengthening legal frameworks at both the national and the international levels to protect the human rights of older persons for further consideration by the Council and other relevant bodies, including the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing.

Closing session

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

 

COVID-19 & Older People Virtual Town Hall Series

As the world reflects on the impact that COVID-19 has had on older people in the context of the Decade of Healthy Ageing, advocating for the rights of older persons is more important than ever before. Leadership and solidarity of Member States and civil society at the UN OEWGA (March 29 – 1 April 2021) toward a common agenda and roadmap for a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People is urgently needed.

This town hall takes place at 07:00 am (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday 8 January 2021 (additional time zones below):

Geneva, Switzerland: 13:00
Lagos, Nigeria: 13:00
New Delhi, India: 17:30
Perth, Australia: 20:00

Register here!

This town hall will be recorded and streamed live on Facebook. Should you be unable to participate, a recording will be available on the IFA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/intfedageing/ and resources will be available at: https://ifa.ngo/ifa-virtual-town-hall-resources/

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-New York, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org.