This week, July 13-17, leaders from around the world will meet to discuss and develop a UN Convention (Treaty) on the Rights of Older Persons. They will decide on the best ways to protect older persons’ rights and make sure that everyone, no matter their age, can live with dignity and equality.
The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP) is leading the effort to create this plan. They organized and talked with 411 organizations of which CURC is a member and listened to almost 200 older people from different countries. These conversations helped them understand what older people need and want.
As people around the world live longer, it is important to make sure that older people are treated fairly and with respect. To do this, many organizations and countries are working together to develop a new international agreement, a UN Convention (Treaty), that will protect the human rights of older persons.
Our main goal is to make sure that older people can enjoy all their human rights equally. This means fighting against unfair treatment, discrimination, and stereotypes based on age, ageism. We want older persons to have the freedom to make their own choices, participate fully in society, and live with dignity.
The UN Convention will be a comprehensive document that covers many important rights, such as the right to be free from violence, access healthcare, participate in society, and have independence. It will also emphasize that aging is a natural part of life and that society should respect and support older persons.
The UN Convention should include many important areas, such as:
- Protection from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
- Access to healthcare, social services, and support.
- The right to work, own property, and have financial independence.
- Freedom from discrimination and unfair stereotypes about aging.
- Participation in decisions that affect their lives, at home, in their communities, and in government.
- Protection of their privacy and personal autonomy.
- Support for mental health, social connections, and combating loneliness.
- Special protections for older persons in emergencies, conflicts, and disasters.
- Respect and Dignity: Every older person should be treated with respect, kindness, and fairness.
- Equality and Non-Discrimination: No one should be treated unfairly because they are old or look a certain age. The treaty will require countries to eliminate age-based stereotypes and practices that hurt older persons.
- Full Participation: Older persons should be involved in making decisions about their communities, policies, and society. Their voices matter.
- Legal Rights and Equal Access: Older people should have the same rights as everyone else, such as the right to own property, work, and access services, and these rights should be protected by laws.
- Addressing Ageism: The treaty will push countries to eliminate stereotypes and discrimination that make older people feel devalued or invisible.
Older people are often ignored or unfairly treated. They may face violence, neglect, or social exclusion. The new treaty aims to change that by setting clear rules for countries to follow. It will help create a world where older persons can live with independence, dignity, and full rights.
The UN Convention (Treaty) will include ways to check if countries are following the rules. Older people, their organizations, and human rights groups will be involved in monitoring progress. Countries will need to report on what they are doing to protect older persons’ rights, and experts will review these reports to ensure accountability.
This UN Convention (Treaty) is a big step forward because it focuses on protecting older persons’ human rights worldwide. It aims to change social attitudes and laws that unfairly treat older people. By working together, countries can create a world where everyone, no matter their age, can enjoy their human rights fully.
CURC fully supports the Conceptual Framework, the joint consensus position prepared by, The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP) 6 July 2026 6 July 2026.
Read more – Kopie von GAROP Joint consensus position
Watch (9am EST Monday July 13th)) – 1st Meeting, 1st session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Older Persons (IGWG) | UN Web TV
