ICSW

The 1982 International Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted in Vienna by the first World Assembly on Ageing, addressed the significant role of regional co-operation and especially of United Nations regional commissions in effective implementation of UN Action Plans.

This emphasis on the need for regional cooperation was further reinforced by the 1999 United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/54/24, which called for a revision of the 1982 International Plan of Action on Ageing.

In follow-up, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) decided to convene a Ministerial Conference on Ageing in September 2002 and accepted the Government of Germany’s offer to host the conference in Berlin. The UN/ECE noted in its decision that, “the main demographic issue of the twenty-first century will be ageing” and that this demographic transition has, “begun to dramatically change the landscape of our societies”.

The purpose of the Ministerial Conference is to develop a regional strategy for Member States of the UN/ECE and the UN/ECE itself for the implementation of the revised International Plan of Action on Ageing, to be adopted by the Second World Assembly on Ageing. A political declaration in which all Member States agree to work on identifying and meeting the challenges faced by their own ageing societies will provide the framework for this regional strategy.

Challenges to Implementation

The discussion that follows deals with some of the challenges surrounding implementation of the soon to be revised UN Action Plan on Ageing, and focuses on strategic concerns and the involvement of different groups of actors. This focussed approach is motivated by the fact that implementation of UN Action Plans often constitutes the Achilles heel of many UN processes. It is obviously a question of major importance but is rarely addressed in detail.

While the 1982 International Plan of Action on Ageing provides a broad framework for national and international programmes, the slow progress in implementation at the national and local levels has often been criticised. In spite of this, many activities have been undertaken by different actors around the world in line with the recommendations of the Plan.

UN/ECE Mandate

The UN/ECE has in the past been hesitant to initiate closer regional co-operation on ageing, as the UN/ECE and its Member States did not feel that the policy challenges of an ageing population were covered by its mandate. This is hardly an excuse but serves as an explanation for the lack of action.

While hesitant to initiate greater co-operation on ageing, the UN/ECE has been involved in many sectors that are inter-connected with and affected by demographic change. These sectors include environment and human settlements, trade and industry, energy, enterprise development and economic analysis. The Population Activities Unit of the UN/ECE has also been involved in promoting an expert-level dialogue among Governments on various facets of demographic change in Europe and North America for some time.

The UN/ECE and its Member States made the decision to hold a Ministerial Conference on Ageing, partly due to pressure from different Member States and also because of the emphasis placed on regional cooperation by the International Plan of Action on Ageing and the General Assembly Resolution A/54/24. It can be argued that by deciding to hold this Conference, the UN/ECE’s mandate has been enlarged. Dealing with major policy challenges in this area will ensure that the UN/ECE, as a regional UN body, plays a more effective role in working towards implementation of the revised UN International Plan of Action on Ageing. It will also strengthen the role of the UN/ECE as a UN body in its own right and also in relation to other international governmental organisations such as the European Union and the Council of Europe.

Participation of Civil Society

Alongside the involvement of experts and governments, the preparatory and follow-up process to the Berlin Conference also requires the active participation of civil society. These three groups represent different and essential components, and we need to guarantee that all actors are provided with the opportunity to contribute. By ensuring that the process is inclusive from the start, better quality participation will be ensured throughout.

With the in-depth experience and knowledge that NGOs have through their work at the grass-roots level – and their ability to voice the concerns and needs of people, involve them in discussions and provide indispensable services, NGOs are important partners with government in the preparatory and follow-up process. In turn, NGOs can share the knowledge and insight gained from government with their constituents and other stakeholders. NGOs therefore play a crucial role in contributing to the development and implementation of policies, as well as in monitoring their successes and failures. NGOs are often praised for what they achieve in the social development field, but are nevertheless too often left out of policy-making and follow-up processes. There are numerous reasons why we cannot afford to let this happen in preparations for and follow-up to the Berlin Ministerial Conference.

The German Association for Public and Private Welfare will host a preparatory meeting for NGOs in Frankfurt and will facilitate a decision-making process amongst NGOs to ensure active participation at Berlin. Great importance is attached to NGO participation as the Berlin Ministerial Meeting is a key event that needs to be used as an opportunity to progress the agenda of the revised International Plan of Action on Ageing in the UN/ECE Member States.
While the key responsibility lies with governments and local authorities, open and transparent consultation with the public is crucial at all stages of the policy development, implementation and follow-up process.

Development and Implementation of Practical Commitments

Institutional complexities and the intricacies of ageing societies are two of the major constraints to the development and implementation of policy commitments that can be applied in a practical manner. At the institutional level, responsibilities for implementation within countries are often shared at national and local levels of government. Without clear-cut roles and responsibilities, implementation becomes fraught with difficulty. Since demographic change has significant impact on a broad range of issues such as the environment, economy, labour market, income security, health, integration and participation, and family and life-course events, commitments which address these different levels of complexity are required. At the same time, we need to analyse and incorporate the effects that demographic changes have on various sectors and public systems including social security, health-care and education. Commitments and follow-up actions should also strike a balance between addressing the needs of society as a whole, as well as the specific needs of different age and socio-economic groups.

Lead up to Berlin

The goal of the Berlin Ministerial Conference is to develop a strategic and comprehensive UN/ECE plan of action that can be implemented regionally, nationally and locally by the UN/ECE, governments, and major stake holders in all areas in which demographic change has an impact on social and human development. To attain this goal, it is useful to clarify and define some of the key concepts and to set the parameters for the debate leading up to Berlin.

Demographic challenges should be seen and addressed as integral elements of the evolving paradigm of sustainable social and economic development. Further to this, a pro-active approach to the ageing of society and the corresponding demographic shift has to be main-streamed into all relevant policies and programmes. Incentives also need to be created so that governments and local authorities sustain this approach.
A plan of action with clearly defined goals, objectives, implementation measures and activities, and a monitoring and evaluation framework all need to be fully developed to ensure efficient and effective follow-up. This will help Member States to establish priorities, initiate reforms and assess possible long-term implications in a co-ordinated way.
The “operational paradigm” that is developed to address the issue of ageing has to be flexible enough to allow for the application of different approaches depending on the conditions that prevail in different countries.
A limited set of concrete commitments and initiatives for the most important areas of policy on ageing are required in the UN/ECE plan of action as providing excessive amounts of detail would be as harmful as too general an approach.
The UN/ECE should continue to strengthen regional and bilateral co-operation among Member States and all major groups concerned with ageing policy.
The follow-up plan along with a monitoring process needs to be highlighted in the political declaration.

Conclusion

At the dawn of a new millennium, we live in a world whose population is the oldest in the world’s history. Even when the first International Action Plan on Ageing was endorsed, the world population was considered to be “young” rather than “old”. Today, Heads of States and Governments have recognised that this fundamental demographic shift is no longer only a phenomenon of Western and industrialised countries, but that this shift is also occurring in developing countries. There is much greater awareness of the need to develop adequate policies and programmes than there was in 1982. Pressure on the UN/ECE Member States to act is increasing and the time has come to act together. It is expected that the implementation strategy adopted in Berlin will further develop the concept of sustainable development, and establish new principles and operational tools for an ageing society, if strategic and measured actions are taken throughout the process.

Christoph Linzbach is Coordinator of International Affairs of the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations, and is a forum where 55 countries of North America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia come together to forge the tools of their economic co-operation. UN/ECE ensures that regional problems are addressed at United Nations world conferences and facilitates follow-up at the regional level. UN/ECE pursues its goals through policy analysis, the development of conventions, regulations and standards, and the provision of technical assistance.