SHAPING THE FUTURE HOW CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS CAN POWER HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

SUSTAINING HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT ACROSS
LONGER LIFESPANS
Rapid ageing poses challenges and opportunities.
All countries should recognize that an ageing
population is inevitable and plan accordingly,
but the need is particularly acute among those
already at the forefront of change. People who
are 60 years and above account for more than
12 percent of the population in 12 Asia-Pacific
countries. 9 Ageing in the region is proceeding at
rates much faster than it did in Western nations,
including in countries that will be grey long
before they are rich.
For many older people, vulnerabilities associated
with limited income are exacerbated by
weak state-assistance systems and the disintegration
of intergenerational families. Support
needs to be geared up to protect their rights
and well-being, in many cases requiring significant
political commitment. Countries such
as Japan and Thailand, where interministerial
BOX 6.2:
European countries prohibit age-related
discrimination and support active ageing
With a large population of older people, the
European Union has developed a series of
programmes and policies to safeguard their interests
and rights. The EU Framework Directive
legally prohibits discrimination in employment
based on age, among other personal attributes.
Excluding some specific occupations, a majority
of European Union member states have
abolished a compulsory retirement age, which
helps to counter the labour loss from a shrinking
population of working-age people. Other
policies support active ageing, encouraging
people to participate economically, provide
care to family members, maintain healthy and independent
lives, and find sustainable solutions
related to health care, pensions and long-term
care. The European Disability Strategy 2010-20
fosters equal access to goods and public services,
including health services, by eradicating
discrimination based on disability.
Source: European Parliamentary Research Service 2014.
councils and commissions on ageing oversee
policy implementation, are moving in the right
direction. New Zealand has appointed a minister
for senior citizens.
Establish a national ageing policy. Both the
Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
and Agenda 2030 stress grounding strategies
to support older people in their active empowerment
and engagement, and upholding
core principles such as equity, sufficiency and
sustainability. Many Asia-Pacific countries have
launched policies and/or action plans based
on the rights of older persons to participate in
development and acquire human development
capabilities and opportunities (Table 6.1). Nearly
40 percent of countries have specific legislation
on older persons.
Some countries have adopted monitoring
systems to assess the impacts of policies and
laws on the elderly, as in China for the Law on
the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the
Aged. Malaysia conducts surveys and research
on ageing, including the Review of the National
Policy and Plan of Action for Older Persons,
which focuses on reintegration and increased
participation of older persons in society.
Given still considerable gap between policy
and practice, however, a majority of countries
need to prioritize implementation. Plans need
to be backed by necessary resources and structured
around clear goals. Results could build
on better data, evidence and knowledge, such
as can be collected through regular surveys on
ageing. This will help decision makers attune
policies to realities on the ground.
Enact legislation to protect the elderly from
discrimination. Ageing is a relatively new phenomenon
in Asia-Pacific, and legal frameworks
have not necessarily kept up with it. Some
priority issues might include laws banning agebased
discrimination, protecting the elderly
against abuse in their homes or institutions,
and guaranteeing essential service delivery and
access to social security entitlements. Raising
the age of retirement should be accompanied by
laws to ensure that elderly people who need or
choose to work will not face discrimination in
employment. In crafting new statutes, countries
can learn from experiences in regions at a more
Stronger commitments
are needed to manage
non-communicable
diseases
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