A summary follows of the European Union's (EU) main policy commitments relating to older people’s rights and needs in developing countries:

European Commission proposal for a new joint Declaration on European Union Development Policy, (COM (2005) 311 final) makes commitments to

• social cohesion and social welfare as human rights that underpin the overriding objective of poverty-reduction, and as one of the areas in which the EC has "valuable experience to share"

• "Combating inequalities and promoting social cohesion, including decent work for all" is one of the distinct action themes for the European Union
• The Commission, in particular, commits to promoting social cohesion and employment in its development policy and g, with a focus on "social and fiscal policies to promote equity". Priority actions include "support for social security reforms (e.g., the extension of social security to those that are not covered by existing systems, sustained and adequate social protection mechanisms)".

EC communication on a EU strategy for Africa: Towards a Euro Africa pact to accelerate Africa's development (COM (2005) 489 final) states that:

"The EU should therefore help to make health education and basic social services available for the poorest people in Africa (MDGs 1-6), contributing to the establishment of a social safety net for the most vulnerable: women, elderly, children and disabled people. It will also help encourage employment and decent work as a key tool for preventing and eradicating poverty. In this context, the EU should promote increased cooperation between state and non-state actors (NGOs, private sector, trade unions, etc.) to ensure greater effectiveness in service delivery."

Article 25 (Social Sector Development) of the Cotonou Agreement (2005)

• EU Development cooperation shall support Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) States’ efforts to develop general and sectoral policies and reforms that improve the coverage, quality of, and access to, basic social infrastructure and services. States should also take account of the local needs and specific demands of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, thus reducing inequality of access to these services.
• Cooperation shall promote and support the development and implementation of policies and of systems of social protection and security in order to enhance social cohesion and to promote self-help and community solidarity.
• Special attention shall be paid to ensuring adequate levels of public spending in the social sectors.
• Cooperation shall aim to "encourage the promotion of participatory methods of social dialogues as well as respect for basic social rights".

EC communication 133 (2005) on accelerating progress towards attaining the MDGs – financing for development and aid effectiveness

• The EU "will provide incentives to the promotion of equitable and sustainable societies in Africa".
• Concrete policy measures to improve equity will serve as an aid-allocation criteria. This will ensure that additional resources are available for countries "that show that they are willing and able to address issues of inequality and marginalisation ... and promote social cohesion".
• "Local development allows children and older people to have their place in the society. It creates a social safety net and limits on migration."

EC communication 179 (2005) on a European programme for action to confront HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis through external action (2007-2011)

"The political dialogue between EU and developing countries will also address the needs of orphans and vulnerable children ... and other vulnerable groups, such as injecting drug users, prisoners, elderly people, people with disabilities, refugees and internally displaced populations, as well as issues around stigma and discrimination."

"Strategies should reflect the fact that families-based and community-based care often plays a crucial role in alleviating the burden of the disease, including as an alternative institutional care for ophans and vulnerable children. The age dimension also needs to be taken into account, with a particular focus on children affected by malaria, orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, and elderly people who have higher rates of TB infection (often undiagnosed) and who are also often left to take care of such children and may need support to this end in terms of social protection or allowances."

Regulation 806 (2004) on promoting gender equality in development cooperation

• Recognises the "gender equality of women and men of all ages as important to effective and efficient work against poverty".
• Acknowledges the "need to combine the gender mainstreaming strategy with specific measures in favour of women of all ages".
• Activities eligible for financing include those "supporting the analysis and improvement of statistics by sex and age".
• "Particular attention should be paid to efforts to promote synergies with policies and programmes targeting reproductive health and sexual health and poverty diseases, girl-child issues, and education, ageing people and environment."
  

Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (2002) (signed up to by all EU Member States)

• Older people must be full participants in the development process and also share in its benefits.
• Older people must be included in all efforts aimed at achieving the poverty-reduction and development targets, with particular attention to the Millennium Development Goals.
• The rights and freedoms of older people must be furthered, including their right to development.

EC communication 429 (2002) on fighting rural poverty

Stresses the need to "take account of differences between socio-economic groups within a given community and to provide adequate assistance to the most vulnerable groups, which include the elderly".

EC development policy statement (2000)

Makes committments to

• reducing, and eventually eradicating, poverty
• promoting gender as a cross-cutting priority
• targeting resources to the chronically poor
  
• supporting social sectors with a view to ensuring equitable access to social services
• encouraging the participation of all groups in society in development efforts.

Main European Parliament (EP) and African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) JPA recommendations related to EU action on ageing and development

EP report on serious and neglected diseases in developing countries (A6-0215/2005)

Calls for older people, orphans and other vulnerable children to be taken into account in policies on poverty reduction. Also calls for support for families affected by HIV/AIDS and other diseases, and for families to be involved in the design and implementation of programmes.

EP resolution on the 2004 Update on the Programme for Action on HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB (T5-0020/2004)

In its revised Programme for Action, calls for reference to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) article on older people who are carers for, and educators of, orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Calls on the EU Commission and Member States to ensure that policy and funding commitments to HIV/AIDS orphans, and older people who are their carers and educators, are included within the financial framework after 2006.

EP resolution on the Second UN World Assembly on Ageing (P5_TA (2002)184)

Calls on the Commission, the Council and Member States to put ageing issues at the centre of all relevant policy areas, and include older people in all relevant European social, economic and development policy and programmes.

ACP-EU resolution on "the rights of disabled people and older people in ACP countries" (ACP-EU 3313/01/fin)

Calls on the Council of the European Union and the European Commission to "include people with disabilities and older people in all relevant development cooperation policies and programmes, on the basis of the UN standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and the UN Principles for Older Persons".

ACP-EU resolution on "health issues, young people, the elderly and people living with disabilities" (ACP-EU 3398/02/fin)

Calls on the Council of the European Union and the European Commission to ensure that the effects of HIV/AIDS on older people, and their roles as carers and educators, are acknowledged and supported, through the provision of health information, training and access to medicines.

Calls on the Council of the European Union and the Commission "to include the specific issues of disabled and older people in development cooperation strategies to improve overall health status, giving older and disabled women’s health needs special attention as they often forego treatment in favour of younger or able-bodied family members".