United Nations advocates call for treaty to protect older persons

Advocates and United Nations officials are calling for a legally binding international treaty to protect older persons from age discrimination, poverty, social exclusion, and barriers to healthcare. During a recent session organized ahead of the Inter-Governmental Working Group (IGWG) on the human rights of older persons, speakers highlighted significant gaps in existing international human rights frameworks.

Data reveals that older people are largely invisible in global human rights monitoring. Of more than 124,539 recommendations made through the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review since 2008, only 681 addressed the rights of older persons, representing approximately 0.5% of the total.

Khaled Hassine, Secretary of the IGWG at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that older persons remain insufficiently represented in official statistics and accountability mechanisms. This lack of data often leads to their specific needs being overlooked in policymaking and public services. The demand for dedicated protections dates back to 1948, when Argentina proposed a ‘Declaration of Old Age Rights’ during the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.