The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will issue a call to action directed at governments, other inter-American and U.N. agencies, and strategic partners to implement the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons, which was adopted in June.
What: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will issue a call to action directed at governments, other inter-American and U.N. agencies, and strategic partners to implement the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons, which was adopted in June.
When: Thursday, 3 September 2015, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EDT)
Who: Carissa F. Etienne, Director, PAHO; Luis Almagro, Secretary General, OAS; Ideli Salvatti, Special Advisor to the OAS Secretary General; Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, U.N. Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons: Heidi Jiménez, PAHO Legal Counsel; Cuauhtemoc Ruiz, Director of PAHO's Family, Gender and Life Course Department
Where: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) HQ, Room A, 525 23rd St. NW, Washington, DC (Corner 23rd St. & Virginia Ave)
How: In person or virtually
Context: On June 15, 2015, the OAS General Assembly adopted the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons. The convention establishes measures for regulating areas related to health and healthy aging, including protection of older persons' human rights, their right to health, information on treatment, and palliative care and against discrimination and abuse.
More than 150 million people currently living in the Americas are over 60 (60% of them women) and by 2020, this number is expected to rise to 200 million. More than half will be living in Latin America and the Caribbean, where about one in two older people currently lack sufficient financial resources to meet their daily needs.
PAHO collaborated with the OAS working group on the human rights of older persons since 2011 to help draft the Convention.
Links:
— Information and event agenda
— Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons
— PAHO celebrates the commitment of the countries of the Americas to protect the human rights of older persons
