Featured Article From Europe Newsletters - 01/2026
The first Organisational Meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Older Persons took place from 18 to 20 February 2026 at the United Nations in Geneva, with the participation of the AGE Secretariat alongside eight AGE members. It marked the official start of the process to draft a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Objectives of the 1st IGWG – Intergovernmental Working Group on older persons
The 1st Organisational Meeting of the IGWG aimed to discuss how the IGWG will operate – including establishing the rules of work, identifying leadership within the United Nations, setting timelines, and discussing how to actively involve different stakeholders, particularly CSOs and older people themselves. Additionally, Argentinian Ambassador Carlos Mario Foradori was elected Chair of the IGWG. This foundational first meeting laid the groundwork for a collaborative and inclusive process, setting the stage for meaningful engagement across all stakeholders.
AGE – alongside many other civil society organisations, actively contributed to the discussions. During the IGWG discussions, participants – including many Member States – reiterated the crucial role of CSOs representative of older people in the process. They also called for formal consultation mechanisms and emphasised the importance of capturing the diversity of older people, showcasing a strong political will to ensure older persons remain at the centre of every step of the process.
Several practical steps were proposed by different stakeholders – including CSOs and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) – to strengthen participation throughout the drafting process, including guaranteeing older persons' representation across panels, consultations, and drafting spaces; enabling hybrid participation in the IGWG; accessible working methods; and applying an intersectional approach that reflects the diversity of older people. Although, next steps and concrete engagement processes are yet to be defined, echoeing these recommendations at this early stage demonstrated a shared commitment to placing older people and CSOs at the centre of shaping a UN Convention. The European Anti Poverty Network Advancing poverty eradication through the European Pillar of Social Rights The European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), proclaimed in 2017, aimed to build a stronger Social Europe and reduce poverty. Its 2021 Action Plan set a target to lift at least 15 million people, including 5 million children, out of poverty by 2030.
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(source: AGE Platform Europe: Older Persons at the Centre: Celebrating a Milestone in the Journey Towards a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. [online]. [cit. 2026-04-17]. Available at this link)
