Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

Chapter 2: A fresh look at evidence – Age-friendly environments
Poverty and vulnerability of
older people can be significantly
reduced by social pensions, notes
a report by the Special Rapporteur
on extreme poverty and human
rights.
Antonio Olmos/HelpAge International
Two general comments by treaty body mechanisms have
clarified the application of human rights treaties to
older people. The first one, General Comment No. 6,
dates back to 1995 and was elaborated by the Committee
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), the
body in charge of monitoring compliance of State Parties
to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR). General Comment No. 6 293
clarified the scope of each of the rights contained in
the ICESCR, as they apply to older people, such as, for
example, the right to health, to adequate standard
of living including adequate food and housing, and the
right to social security.
The second general recommendation was adopted by
the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women in 2010. 294 General Recommendation
No. 27 on older women and the protection of their
human rights under the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
acknowledged the gendered nature of ageing, and took
due note of the impact of inequality throughout the
life of women, which is often a result of unfair resource
allocation, maltreatment, neglect and limited access
to basic services.
Consistent with its General Recommendation No. 27,
the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women has incorporated specific concerns of
older women in many of its concluding observations
in recent years. For example, the Committee has
scrutinized State Parties about older women in a broad
range of human rights areas where the situation of
women erodes with age.
Among such issues, for example, the Committee has
expressed concern for discrimination with respect to the
ownership and inheritance of land by older women; 295
has asked State Parties to conduct gender assessments of
its social sector legislation and policies as well as of its
cuts in the health-care budget, with particular attention
to older women; 296 and has urged State Parties to pay
special attention to the needs of rural women, including
older women, ensuring their participation in decisionmaking
processes and full access to education, health
services and credit facilities. 297
In her 2010 annual report to the General Assembly,
the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and
human rights (former Independent Expert) gave a
comprehensive analysis of the issue of non-contributory
pensions for older people, as an important dimension
of social security systems. 298 Her report noted that
social pensions consist of cash benefits received by
people above a given age, which do not require prior
compulsory contributions from beneficiaries, employers
or the State. It stated that social pensions can
significantly reduce poverty and vulnerability among
older people, in particular for women, who live longer
and are less likely to benefit from contributory systems.
In this report, the Special Rapporteur called on States to
recognize that social pensions are critical elements for
the progressive realization of the right to social security
for older people.
The report also provided recommendations on how to
ensure that non-contributory pensions comply with core
human rights standards. Finally, it addressed the role
of international assistance and cooperation in the field
of social security. 299
100 Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and A Challenge