62 countries took part in the sixth Age Demands Action yesterday making it our biggest campaign to date!
Older campaigners around the world marked the International Day of Older Persons by taking to the streets and meeting with senior ministers in their countries to demand their rights and call for better access to healthcare and social protection.
Recognising older people’s contributions
Age Demands Action kicked off in Fiji where older persons met with the President at an event organised by our Affiliate FCOSS. The President also gave a speech in which he talked about his pride in Fiji for being the first country in the region to begin developing a National Policy on Ageing, and his belief in the value of the older generation.
He also stressed on the importance of recognising their contributions and ensuring they are given access to their full rights and the social support they require.
In South Asia, ADA also made a big impact in Bangladesh and Nepal. In Bangladesh, the International Day of Older Persons was celebrated in coordination with the government at a national level as well as in 64 districts all over the country.
Older activists took part in a human chain and a seminar on ageing was held at the national level with the Honorable Minister, State Minister, and Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Director General of the Department of Social Services among the attendees.
In Nepal, over 100 campaigners took part in a rally fom Sundhara, Kathmandu to Bhrikuti Mandap with ADA information distributed to the general public along the way. The rally concluded at the venue of the First National Senior Citizens’ festival jointly organised by the Manmohan Memorial Foundation, Ageing Nepal, NEPAN, and HelpAge International in Nepal, which was inaugurated by the President and attended by various leaders from political parties and development partners.
Demanding a convention on the rights of older people
As the ADA campaign and the International Day of Older Persons moved westwards, more than 15,000 campaigners in Latin America took action, with the demand for a convention on the rights of older people being heard in more than 43 cities and towns in the region!
In Bolivia, 350 older people marched on the streets of Chuquisaca to demand their rights and were received by the Secretary of the Department of Human and Social Development, who pledged to arrange for the construction of the first public nursing home for the older people of Chuquisaca. 
In Ecuador, older people collected signatures to support a new draft law that will be submitted to the National Assembly, which if implemented would provide budget allocation for social programmes that would benefit older people. Activists in Nicaragua gave messages on live radio to raise awareness amongst the public about their needs and demands, and in Dominican Republic, campaigners demanded a national Pension and National Health Insurance cards.
A huge signature campaign in support of a convention was conducted in Argentina and older people also joined the ADA campaign across Peru, with campaigners marching and collecting petition signatures in favour of a convention and for the universality of the Pension 65 in Lima, Cajamarca, Piura, Lambayeque, Junín, Ayacucho, Puno and Villa Maria del Triunfo.
Older people
continue to raise their voices around the world
With the campaign continuing to grow in scale this year, older people’s demands are reaching further than ever before. There are still more exciting updates to come from our ADA countries around the world in the next few weeks!
Read more about Age Demands Action and activities around the world.