A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

• The Government of Liberia should seek to create national support mechanisms to promote
policies that address aging. 47 Also, it should integrate national policies regarding the elderly
into development programs 48 and facilitate collaboration between the non-governmental
and governmental sectors to develop “primary health care, health promotion and self-help
programs for the elderly.” 49
• The Government of Liberia should
ensure that elderly women are
free from violence and age-based
discrimination and are treated with
dignity. 52 This requires providing
protection to elderly women taking
into account their socio-economic
and physical needs, as well as their
access to the workforce and training. 53
• The Government of Liberia should
ensure “access to adequate food,
water, shelter, clothing and health
care through the provision of income,
family and community support and
self-help” and to ensure that elderly
persons “have the opportunity to work or to have access to other income-generating
opportunities.” 54
• The Government of Liberia should ensure elderly people have “access to social and legal
services to enhance their autonomy, protection and care.” 55
• The Government of Liberia should provide “guidelines on health policy to preserve the health
of the elderly and take a comprehensive view, ranging from prevention and rehabilitation to
the care of the terminally ill.” 56
Potential Implementation Strategy: Addressing the Post-Conflict Needs of Older Persons
A World Health Organisation report on older people in emergency situations notes that the post-conflict
phase should focus on establishing and executing mid- to long-term health policies. At the same time,
this recovery process provides an opportunity to remedy the challenges that older persons face in this
stage. It outlines four objectives for this stage:
Objective 1: Build institutional capacity and commitment to ensuring the health and safety of older
people in emergencies.
Objective 2: Strengthen the capacity of ministries of health and health care systems to meet the needs
of older people in emergencies.
Objective 3: Develop mechanisms to ensure continuing development and the exchange of expertise as
these relate to older people in emergencies.
Objective 4: Promote active ageing as a strategy to reduce vulnerability and develop resiliency to
disasters.” 57
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Chapter Fourteen
Potential Implementation Strategy:
Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing
The Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing
sets forth principles and recommendations for
action on health and nutrition, protecting elderly
consumers, housing and environment, family, social
welfare, income security, and employment and
education. 50 Also, the plan highlights the important
role of governments in setting short-term, mediumterm,
and long-term goals, monitoring the aging
process, paying attention to improving the status of
elderly women, establishing machinery, and striving
for coordinating across sectors and levels. 51