Last October, delegations of older people in 27 countries across four continents met with their governments. The delegations called for recognition of the vital role they play in society and for inclusion in development policies and practice.

This marked the first year of Age Demands Action, the first ever globally coordinated campaign on older people's rights. Older people achieved real change, including:

Expanding pension coverage

In Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zambia, governments agreed to expand coverage of existing social pension schemes.

• In India, the government agreed to make the old-age pension available to all poor people in the country. Previously, the pension was only available to those considered destitute.
• In the Philippines, older people secured government support for the Elderly Poor Pension Act for social pensions. This act is currently going through the legislative procedure.

Improved access to healthcare and basic needs

In countries such as Bolivia, India and Sri Lanka, older people cannot access benefits or free healthcare without an identity card, and the procedure to get one can often be long and costly.

• The government in India agreed to give an additional one million older men and women identity cards.
  
• In Bangladesh, the Joint Chief of Health agreed to improve older people’s access to primary healthcare by providing dedicated weekly clinics.

Access to food and water

• In Ethiopia, the Minister for Water agreed to specifically include older people in programmes to provide water to the most vulnerable in rural and urban areas.
• In Zambia, the government agreed to expand a food ration scheme for older people and to include them in a wider food security programme to support agricultural activities.
• In Bangladesh, the government offered credit to older people’s associations.

Implementing national policies on ageing

In Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan and Uganda, governments agreed to take forward national policies on ageing.

• The Vietnamese government revised the draft Law of the Elderly to give older people access to existing micro-credit and health insurance schemes.
• In Uganda, Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implement a national policy to address issues facing older people.
• Ministers in Kyrgyzstan agreed to provide support to older people by adopting a law on older citizens.

Empowerment

In many countries older people had never before had the opportunity to approach their governments directly. The Age Demands Action 2007 campaign was the first time that older people had been actively involved in a united global campaign to enact change and make their voices heard. 

The delegations, reporting on their respective ministerial meetings, said that the activities signalled a change in how older people’s issues will be perceived and approached in the future.

Such meetings look set to become an annual event in the political calendar with the 2008 campaign successfully underway.

Many delegates felt a sense of leadership and empowerment, especially in those countries where real changes were felt as a result of their efforts.

Five-year review of MIPAA

Age Demands Action also marked an opportunity to review the progress countries had made in implementing the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA).

MIPAA is an international agreement, signed by 157 countries in 2002. It specifically recognises the potential of older people to contribute to the development of their societies, and commits governments to include ageing in all social and economic development policies.

A series of reports on progress in implmenting MIPAA were produced in the run up to 1 October 2007.