International Day of Older Persons

• October 1st was chosen by the General Assembly of the United Nations as “International Day of Older Persons” (General Assembly resolution 45/106, 14 December 1990).  The General Assembly recognised that elderly are an asset to society and can contribute significantly to the development of human society.
• Address by the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Dr Jean Swanson-Jacobs at the International Day of Older Persons, University of Western Cape, South Africa (2008)
• Millions of older persons are denied their rights - Statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, to mark the International Day of Older Persons (2010)
  
  

ICESCR and older persons

• The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) - Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly of the United Nations resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16 December 1966; entry into force 3 January 1976, in accordance with article 27.
  
• The economic, social and cultural rights of older persons - General Comment No. 6, adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at its 30th session, 1995, UN doc E/1996/22
• Excerpts/summaries from general comments of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, prepared by the Socio-Economic Rights Project of the Community Law Centre.
   

United Nations Working Group on Older Persons

• Establishment – Resolution A/C.3/65/L.8/Rev.1 – Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, 16 November 2010
   

Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities in Africa

• ACHPR/Res.118 (XXXXII) 07: Resolution on the Establishment and Appointment of a Focal Point on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa
  
• Activity Report of Commissioner Yeung Sik Yuen - Inter-Session period, May 2008-November 2008
• ACHPR/Res143(XXXXV)09: Resolution on the Transformation of the Focal Point on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa into a Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Africa
• Draft Report of Commissioner Y. K. J. Yeung Sik Yuen, Chairperson of the Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Africa - Inter-Session period, May 2009-November 2009
• Report of Commissioner Y. K. J. Yeung Sik Yuen, Chairperson of the Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Africa - Inter-Session period, May 2010-November 2010
   

International standards and documents

• United Nations Principles for Older Persons – Adopted in 1991 by the General Assembly of the United Nations (resolution 46/91).
• The Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing – Adopted at the World Assembly on Ageing at Vienna, Austria; and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1982 (resolution 37/51).
  
• The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing: Guiding Framework and Toolkit for Practitioners & Policy Makers - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development (2008)
  
• Guide to the National Implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2008)
  
• The Madrid Plan: A Comprehensive Agenda for an Ageing World - Sergei Zelenev, Chief, Social Integration Branch of the Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Secretariat
  
  
  

South African legal framework

• Older Persons Act No. 13 of 2006, Gazette No. 29346, 02 November 2006
  
• Older Persons Act (13/2006) Regulation 33075, 2010 - Regulations regarding older persons, Gazzette No. 33075, 01 April 2010
• The South African Older Person’s Charter. Department of Social Development and South African Older Persons Forum
  
  

MDGs and older persons

• The MDG agenda: Including older persons in anti-poverty strategies - United Nations Development Programme, BDP/Poverty Group, Presented by Eduardo Zepeda.
• Mainstreaming the concerns of older persons into the social development agenda - Robert Venne, Social Affairs Officer, Programme on Ageing, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• United Nations Secretary-General, in Message to Mark International Day of Older Persons, Urges Services that Give Them Chance for Life beyond Mere Survival (2010).
• The 20th Annual Celebration of the International Day of Older Persons - “Older Persons and the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals” - Thursday, October 7, 2010. Welcome Remarks on Behalf of the NGO Committee on Ageing Jessica Frank, Chair, NGO Committee on Ageing/NY
• Without the contributions of older persons MDGs are unachievable - An Open Letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (2010)
• MESSAGE – Dame Pearlette Louisy - International Day of Older Persons 2010 - “Older Persons and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”

• Chronic poverty and older people in South Africa – Julian May, School of Development Studies, University of Natal, South Africa; Chronic Poverty Research Centre Working Paper 25 commissioned by HelpAge International (2003).
• Chronic poverty and older people in the developing world - Amanda Heslop and Mark Gorman, HelpAge International; Chronic Poverty Research Centre Working Paper No 10 (2002).
   

• Older women and the protection of their human rights - General Recommendation No. 27 adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its 47th session, 2010, UN doc. CEDAW/C/2010/47/GC.1.  
   

• Report of the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, UN doc. A/HRC/14/31, submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 40th session, 2010.
   

• Current status of the social situation, well-being, participation in development and rights of older persons worldwide (draft report) – United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2010).
• Strengthening older people’s rights: Towards a UN Convention (2010). A resource for promoting dialogue on creating a new UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. Produced collaboratively by INPEA, IFA, ILC-US, IAGG, IAHSA, HelpAge International, GAA, Age UK and AARP.

• Older persons: The case of South Africa - Antoinette Lombard & Elma Kruger (2009)
  
• Protecting older persons against violence, abuse and discrimination - Monica Ferreira; Seminar on Family Support Networks and Population Ageing, Doha, Qatar, 3-4 June (2009).
  
• The rights of older people- African Perspectives – Jody Kollapan (2008)
  
• Focal Point on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa – Report of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
  
  
  

Climate change, older persons and human rights

• Older people and climate change: The case for better engagement – Gary Haq, Dave Brown and Sarah Hards; Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden (2010).
  
• Poverty and climate change – Mercy International Association (2010)
  
  
  

Participation and older persons

• Integration and participation of older persons in development - Peggy L. Kelly, Social Affairs Officer, Programme on Ageing, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
  
  
  
  

Legal aspects of palliative care for older persons

• Kathleen Brodrick and Nelia Drenth (2009) Palliative care for older persons. In Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa, Legal aspects of palliative care. Chapter 9.
  
  
  

Additional resources on older persons in South Africa

• Remembering in times of misery - Can Older People in South Africa 'Work Through'? Els van Dongen, Amsterdam School for Social Science Research Working Paper 04/04 (2004)
  
• Status of older persons in South Africa – Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Social Development by Roedolf Kay, National Coordinator, South African Older Persons Forum (2010)
  
• The plight of rural elderly in South Africa: A case for a community development cadre? – Malcolm J Brown, Community Development Journal, Vol. 34 No. 2 (1999) pp. 143-150
• Experiences and needs of older persons in Mpumalanga - Monde Makiwane, Margie Schneider and Mathews Gopane (2004) Human Sciences Research Council
• National report on the status of older persons: 1994-2002. South Africa (2002)
• Social assistance, gender and the aged in South Africa - Justine Burns, Malcolm Keswell and Murray Leibbrandt (2004)
   

Funding for the project on older persons is contributed by the Foundation for Human Rights which is funded by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the European Union under the sector budget support programme – Access to Justice and Constitutional Rights

Financial assistance has also been contributed by the European Union.

 
The contents of this resource page are the sole responsibility of the Community Law Centre and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.