News & Documents

Member states of the United Nations have finally started talking about what older people’s rights look like. Despite the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) being tasked with identifying the main elements in a new international legal instrument to protect the rights of older people, progress has been slow because not all member states agree…

On 15 June 2018, World Elder Abuse Awareness day, campaigners in 47 countries called for older people’s rights to autonomy and independence to be respected and protected. According to the World Health Organization, more than 15% of older people around the world experience some form of abuse in their community. This abuse is predicted to increase…

Political turmoil and violence in Burundi in recent decades have driven hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country. The latest flashpoint came in April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term, despite a two-term limit being set out in Burundi’s constitution. Protests were met with a brutal…

Starting this week, more than half a million older women and men in Kenya are receiving their first ever pensions. Under the new Government-funded Inua Jamii 70 and Above universal social pension, launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday 2 June, all Kenyans over 70 will receive 2,000 shillings (just under US$20) per month. This…

The Sphere Executive Board welcomed a humanitarian standards initiative focusing on older people and people with disabilities as the newest member of the Humanitarian Standard Partnership. The Humanitarian inclusion standards for older people and people with disabilities were developed by the Age and Disability Capacity Programme (ADCAP). ADCAP is a project of the Age and Disability Consortium, a group…