“Human Rights of Older Persons”
20th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights – Executive Summary in Plain English
“The realisation of the right to an adequate standard of living is essential to preventing the social exclusion of older persons. It is considered to be indispensable to the fulfilment of all other rights and encompasses all the basic subsistence rights. The aim is to ensure that everybody is able to live in conditions of dignity, in which they are able to satisfy their needs and interact with others.” (Dr Claudia MAHLER, United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons)
The Asia-Europe Foundation and its partners are pleased to publish the findings and recommendations of the 20th Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights – “Human Rights of Older Persons” (ASEMHRS20) held on 22-24 February 2021 Online/Seoul, Korea.
The publication provides an overview of the fundamental concept and some of the important current issues relating to the human rights of older persons at the international, regional, and national levels. It also makes a number of recommendations to ASEM Partners and other stakeholders as to the steps that they may wish to consider in their efforts to improve the enjoyment by all older persons of their human rights without discrimination on the basis of older age. Furthermore, it details the outcomes of the working group discussions during the Seminar, which focused on the following 4 comprehensive thematic areas:
- Autonomy and Independence
(Rapporteur: Professor Titti MATTSSON, Lund University) - Social Protection and Human Rights of Older Persons
(Rapporteur: Emerit. Professor Andrew BYRNES, University of New South Wales) - Age Discrimination against Older Persons focusing on Labour Markets
(Rapporteur: Professor Jolanta PEREK-BIALAS, Jagiellonian University) - Empowerment of Older Persons through Education and Training
(Rapporteur: Professor Yeong-Ran PARK, Kangnam University)
The Seminar’s background paper was jointly written by rapporteurs Prof Titti Mattsson and Prof Andrew Byrnes.
Providing a comprehensive background on human rights of older persons in Asia and Europe, the ASEMHRS20 publication makes an invaluable and timely resource for practitioners, policymakers, scholars, and advocates working in the field of ageing and human rights.
The Seminar was co-organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (nominated by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples’ Republic of China. The ASEMHRS20, which was held as a hybrid event and co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea, the ASEM Global Ageing Center (AGAC), and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, brought together over 130 experts, academics, and government representatives from 44 ASEM Partner countries.