This week, HelpAge affiliate, Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) met with their minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Jiko Luveni as well as the permanent secretary, Mr. Govind Sami to present the Madrid International Plan for Action on Ageing in Fiji.
What is MIPAA?
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) is a comprehensive action plan for governments, civil society and others for building a society for all ages. MIPAA was adopted by the UN General Assembly at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid in 2002.
The three major priorities of MIPAA are older people and development, improved healthcare and wellbeing and ensuring an enabling environment for older people.
“We are glad to announce that the Ministry has welcomed the initiative and shown full support for MIPAA and look forward to working closely with us and others who care about the elderly,” said FCOSS Executive Director, Mr Mohammed Hassan Khan.
“The purpose of our meeting was to explain to the Ministry about the importance of the MIPAA study in Fiji and its outcome. Recommendations for policies to improve the welfare of older people are not only for Fiji, but for older people around the world.”
Governments must include ageing in social and development policies
MIPAA is the first global agreement to recognise the potential of older people and their contributions to society. It commits governments to including ageing in all social and economic development policies, including poverty reduction programmes.
“It highlights the eradication of older people’s poverty as a fundamental aim, and calls for governments to include older people in policies and programmes to reach the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015,” added Mr Khan.
FCOSS will also celebrate the UN International Day of Older Persons on 1 October through its Age Demands Action programme. Organisation representatives will meet with the ministry on the day to submit the recommendations from MIPAA on issues faced by older people in Fiji.
Read more about the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing or Download Ageways 77: The Madrid plan and you