IPEA

The NGO Committee on Ageing calls your attention to  an event hosted by SGA-Africa, UNDESA Programme on Ageing, AUC and UN ECA:

Policy and systems reforms to Building Back Better and Achieve SDGs Decade of Action in favor of older persons inclusion and rights

Meeting access: https://zoom.us/j/91818009876?pwd=L2tqMzRzU3R1T2N2YThlL0dNMURGUT09

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, like previous crises, continue to exacerbate already existing vulnerabilities, inequalities, and exclusion particularly for population groups that are not sufficiently integrated in public policies and systems like older persons. Older people population group continue to be most affected by the crisis. Building forward better strategies, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 frameworks provides a foundation to significantly transform and strengthen policies and institutional systems at national and regional levels to achieve wellbeing and dignity of older persons to reverse historical trend.

Rational: Reforms of policies and systems to support building forward better and SDGs’ acceleration actions by African governments and development partners must integrate older persons. The perennial lack of reflecting the implication of ageing and older persons rights in policies and supporting systems promotes exclusion, ageism, and discrimination of older persons. SGA-Africa, UNDESA Programme on Ageing, AUC and UN ECA will be hosting a dialogue forum to share and agree on strategies to ensure building forward better and implementation of SDGs’ Decade for Action comprehensively includes older persons. Policy and system reforms that includes older persons capacities and vulnerability will go a long way to achieve wellbeing of people across their life course.

Objectives: The side event seeks to: identify and priorities policy and systems reforms needed to integrate older persons in SDGs and Agenda 2063 implementation and reporting; share and strategies on ways in which policy makers and CSOs must evolve and prioritize to build forward better on issues of ageing and older persons; and increase political support for ageing development and its relevance in the success of SDGs and Agenda 2063 framework.

Program:

Welcome remarks, overview of SGA-Africa and objective of the meeting Roseline Kihumba, Co-chair of SGA-Africa

Opening remarks:

Ms. Masumi Ono, Chief of Social Inclusion and Participation Branch, Division for Inclusive Social Development, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Gideon Rutaremwa, Population Affairs Officer, Gender Poverty and Social Policy Division, Economic Commission for Africa

Progress, learning, challenges and priority in advancing integration of older persons in agenda 2063 and Covid-19 response and recovery programmes – Dr. Jane Marie Ongolo, Head of Division, Social Welfare, Vulnerable Groups, Drug Control and Crime Prevention

Covid-19 responses and impact on the human rights of older persons: integrating human rights and intersecting realities in building forward better – Dr. Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the rights of older people, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Experience sharing of what is working and gaps in integration of older people in SDGs, regional development agendas, Covid-19 response, and recovery strategies:

National and sub-national – Priscilla Gavi, HelpAge Zimbabwe

Global and continental level – Susan Sumer, IPEA

Discussions on way forward – Roseline Kihumba, SGA-Africa Co-chair

Closing Remarks: Dr. Ogugua Osi-Ogbu

For more information about the side event, please contact, SGA-Africa Co-Chair, Roseline Kihumba (Ms.), International & Regional Policies Coordinator, HelpAge International-Africa Regional Office, Email: roseline.kihumba@helpage.org.

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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.