As co-chairs of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People, we look forward to the upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva from 24 February to 4 April. We are hoping that Council members will agree on a concrete way forward towards a UN convention on the human rights of older persons. For us, the best result would be the establishment of an intergovernmental working group to draft an international legally binding instrument (or UN convention).

As an international network uniting over 400 organisations from across the world, we have been advocating for such an international legally binding instrument for over a decade. During this time, thousands of people have gone on the streets to demand better protection of their human rights, also as part of our global Age With Rights campaign. Hundreds of documents have been submitted and discussed at the United Nations – showing that the best solution to entrenched ageism, widespread age discrimination and violations of older persons’ rights around the world is a UN convention on the human rights of older persons.

A window of opportunity opened in 2024 when, after 14 years of deliberations, governments at the United Nations reached a consensus on possible gaps in the current international human rights framework and urged all relevant UN bodies to consider their recommendations, including a UN convention. As the human rights of older persons continue to be violated every second, we are impatient for politicians to understand the urgency of our call.

We therefore hope that Member States will show their commitment to the human rights of older persons at the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council. We work closely with our membership, the NGO Committee on Ageing Geneva, and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions in our advocacy at the Human Rights Council. We support our membership in their national advocacy by providing information on the recent developments, sample letters and other practical tools. We also engage with Member States and prepare joint statements for the Human Rights Council sessions. Spain currently plays a fundamental role because it includes the work for the convention in its 2nd National Human Rights Plan, and since last year has been a member of the Human Rights Council.

We look forward to having a strong presence in Geneva this year – raising our voice and that of millions of older persons around the world. We are at a critical juncture and governments must now decide together on a concrete way forward to ensure that we can all age with rights, whether we are older now or will be in the future. Our vision is a world where older persons live free from discrimination and can fully enjoy their rights, whatever their age.

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