Thousands of older people around the world came together on 1 October to celebrate the 25th International Day of Older Persons.
Age Demands Action (ADA) campaigners raised awareness of the importance of protecting the rights of older people under a UN convention. They took photos of themselves with umbrellas to symbolise the need to protect their rights.
Here ADA steering group member Laila poses with her umbrella in Kyrgyzstan.
Our partner Ageing Nepal met with older people throughout Kathmandu to raise awareness of the Global Goals. Here a campaigner sits next to a placard for goal 11.
Older volunteers from the Red Cross in Serbia have been given a camera as a gift by the Dutch ambassador and undertook training for how to use it. They organised a photoshoot beneath multi-coloured umbrellas and took the images themselves. Find out more about what they did in a blog by Natasa Todorovic.
All over Latin American and Caribbean older people took action with Age Demands Action and have seen much national success.
In Argentina and the municipality of La Plata campaigners saw a step forward in their campaigning. After several years of calling for gerontology assistants in the area, the local government has expanded its register.
Campaign partners across Latin America have called for the ratification of the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons, which ministers continued to show their support for after meeting the activists. They explained where the process currently stands and the importance of seeing it through to adoption.
Here campaigners march in Haiti in support of older people’s rights. An older person in the image below holds a sign saying “seniors can”.
In the Czech Republic, older people took part in the annual seniors’ run and used the opportunity to take some fantastic umbrella photos.
Actions also took place across Africa and in Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Here in Bangladesh, older campaigners sat beneath an ADA umbrella in solidarity with hundreds of other campaigners, while second image below sees activists on an elder walk in Sri Lanka.
The day highlights that older people refuse to age quietly. Older men and women are demanding action be taken to secure their rights for a dignified and happy life. ADA Global and the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October continue to be an opportunity to celebrate old age and the contribution older people make to their communities and families all year round.
Find out more:
- Join our Age Demands Action campaign.
- Follow the day as it unfolded on our Storify.
- Explore more of our photos on our Instagram.