Further Implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002

Encourages Member States to continue their efforts to mainstream the rights and concerns of older persons into their policy agendas in order to adequately address the social, economic, cultural, political and other factors that make older persons vulnerable to poverty, unemployment, inequality, humanitarian emergencies, natural disasters, violence, gender discrimination, social exclusion and marginalization;

Also encourages Member States to narrow gaps between policy and practice in the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002,1 and to consider the elaboration of national implementation strategies, which include efforts to enhance national capacity-building on ageing, inter alia, by building institutional infrastructures, investing in human resources and mobilizing financial resources;

Calls upon Member States to continue to participate effectively in the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action through, inter alia, improving data collection and sharing ideas, information and good practices;

Encourages Member States to promote social integration and the realization of all human rights for older persons and to prevent age discrimination;

Calls upon Member States to adopt appropriate measures, including, if necessary, legislative measures at the national level to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and to promote their full social, economic, cultural and political participation;

Encourages Member States to consider including in their national strategies, inter alia, policy implementation approaches, such as empowerment and participation, gender equality, awareness-raising and capacity development, and such essential policy implementation tools as evidence-based policymaking, mainstreaming, participatory approaches and indicators;

Also encourages Member States to strengthen efforts to develop their national capacity to set priorities and address the national implementation priorities identified during the review and appraisal exercise, bearing in mind the specific needs of older persons in natural disasters and emergencies, including through the strengthening of institutional mechanisms, research, data collection and analysis and the training of necessary personnel in the field of ageing;

Further encourages Member States to establish or strengthen strategic approaches and policy options in relation to the physical and mental health of older persons in the light of new and emerging disease patterns, notably non-communicable diseases, and increased life expectancy, with particular attention to addressing health needs across a care continuum, including prevention, detection and diagnosis, management and rehabilitation, treatment and palliative care, with the aim of achieving comprehensive health-care coverage for older persons;

Calls upon Member States to continue their efforts to promote the participation of older persons in the decision-making process affecting their lives and ageing with dignity;

Encourages Member States to provide services and support to older persons, including grandparents, who have assumed responsibility for children who were abandoned or whose parents are deceased, have migrated or are otherwise unable to care for their dependants;

Also encourages Member States to support the national and international research community in developing studies on the impact of the Madrid Plan of Action on older persons and national social policies;

Encourages the international community and the relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other regional and subregional mechanisms, within their respective mandates, to support national efforts and to provide funding for research and data-collection initiatives on ageing in order to better understand the challenges and opportunities presented by population ageing and to provide policymakers with more accurate, practical and specific information and analysis on ageing, gender and disability, such as for policy planning, monitoring and evaluation;

Invites Member States to establish and/or strengthen partnerships with civil society organizations and organizations of older persons in order to improve their national capacity for policy formulation, implementation and monitoring in the area of ageing;

Encourages the international community to enhance international cooperation to support national efforts to eradicate poverty, in keeping with internationally agreed goals, in order to achieve sustainable social and economic support for older persons, including to build capacity on ageing through stronger partnerships with civil society, such as organizations of older persons, academia, research foundations and community- and faith-based organizations, and with the private sector;

Invites Member States and all other major national and international stakeholders to continue their cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as the United Nations global focal point on ageing, in further implementing the Madrid Plan of Action;

Invites all relevant United Nations entities that can contribute to advancing the situation of older persons to, within their respective mandates, give greater priority to addressing the needs and concerns of older persons, while maximizing synergies;

Recommends that the situation of older persons, including the issues of poverty eradication, social integration, non-discrimination and empowerment, be taken into account in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and be given due consideration in the elaboration of the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015;

Requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States and other relevant stakeholders on:

Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission for Social Development at its fifty-third session, in 2015, a report on the modalities of the third review and appraisal of the Madrid Plan of Action.