Page 41 - Bulletin, Vol.81 No.1, May 2022

Many of you will find this note unnecessary as you will have received this information
from your bank or a business newspaper, but we at AAFI are addressing all our
members to dispel any sense of frustration that would add to the uncertainty of the
current economic and social situation.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

WILL A UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF OLDER

PERSONS EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY?

By Georges KUTUKDJIAN

President of AFUS

It is true that to make older people see the light of day is held back by the shock of
metaphors. However, no other international instrument concerning human rights has
taken so long… without being achieved, in spite of all the relevant documents produced
to this end since 2010. The United Nations Principles for Older Persons were adopted
on 16 December 1991 followed by the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing in
2002 as well as the nomination of an “Independent expert responsible for promoting the
guarantee of human rights by older persons”. This brought about the creation of an
International Day for Older Person (1 October) and more recently a Decade of Healthy
Ageing (2021-2030).

The Member States were encouraged to integrate these principles into their national
programmes i.e. the independence of older persons (including their autonomy), their
participation in political life, as well as social and cultural fields for their integration into
society and their personal development, their access to health care as well as respect of
their dignity. These Principles have the merit of existing, albeit having certain limitations.
Certain formulations can be surprising, e.g. why override the recognition of their rights
and freedoms to health care? Do they have liberties only in the situation of consent to a
medical treatment? The above-mentioned Principles and Plan of action are out-dated.
They were adopted some 30 and 20 years ago. The reconciliation between the older
persons and duration would be more logical... However, duration implies specific
landmarks and elderly people cannot wait indefinitely for that their rights and liberties be
recognized by a binding international convention.

In October 2021 the WHO declared that little action had been undertaken to
guarantee the respect and dignity of older persons. The abuse to which they are
subjected is a topic qualified as “an important problem of public health” defined as: “A
unique or repetitive act or the absence of appropriate action, which occurs in every
relationship where there exists a lack of confidence, which causes harm or distress to

AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 81 No.1, 2022-05 39