As we mark International Day for Older Persons, the United Nations stresses the importance of promoting full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by older persons. This year, the theme of the International Day for Older Persons is Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions.
Almost 700 million people are now over the age of 60. By 2050, 2 billion people, over 20 percent of the world's population, will be 60 or older. The increase in the number of older people will be the greatest and the most rapid in the developing world, with Asia as the region with the largest number of older persons, and Africa facing the largest proportionate growth.
Referring to the statistics, the United Nations stresses on the necessity of enhanced attention to the particular needs and challenges faced by many older people. Just as important, according to United Nations, is the essential contribution the majority of older men and women can continue to make to the functioning of society if adequate guarantees are in place.
The report issued to coincide with the International Day for Older Persons notes if the ambition is to ‘’Build the Future We Want,’’ the population over 60 which is expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030 must addressed. Noting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) turns 70 this year, the United Nations noted the International Day for Older Persons celebrates the importance of the declaration and reaffirms the commitment to promoting the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by older persons. It stated older human rights champions today were born around the time of the adoption of the UDHR in 1948.
The 2018 theme aims to promote rights enshrined in the declaration and what it means in the daily lives of older persons, according to the United Nations. These include; raising the visibility of older people as participating members of society committed to improving the enjoyment of human rights in many areas of life and not just those that affect them immediately; and reflect on progress and challenges in ensuring full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by older persons; and engage broad audiences across the world and mobilise people for human rights at all stages of life.