The world ages, gracefully.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

- Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 2

Increased longevity is one of the striking developments of the century; it has grown more in the last 100 years than in the prior 5,000 since the Bronze Age. But it's easy to misconstrue. What's new is not the number of years people live; it's the number of people who live them. Science hasn't lengthened life, says Dr. Robert Butler, a pioneering authority on ageing. It has enabled many more people to reach very old age. And at this moment in history, even to say "many more people" is an understatement. The baby boom generation is about to turn into an age boom.

- Jack Rosenthal, Editor New York Times Magazine, 9 March 1997

The United Nations General Assembly's decision to observe the year 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons is "in recognition of humanity's demographic coming of age and the promise it holds for maturing attitudes and capabilities in social, economic, cultural and spiritual undertakings, not least for global peace and development in the next century".

Between the years 1950 and 2000, the decline of fertility and mortality will have added 20 years to the average life. But together with declining fertility - the main factor in the ageing of the world population-longevity is also producing unprecedented challenges to citizens and policy makers, for instance, the protection of the economic and social security of older persons.

This demographic transition has skyrocketed the proportion of older persons - those aged 60 years and above - within a few generations, from approximately 1 person in 14 to 1 in 4. In countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), moreover, it is expected that by the year 2030 this proportion will have reached a ratio of 1 person in 3. The median age of the world population will have jumped from 23.4 years in 1950 to 31.1 years in 2050.

* Although the proportion of older people is highest in OECD countries and in countries with economies in transition, the major growth of the world's older population - from half a billion people in 1990 to almost 1.5 billion in 2050 - will be in developing countries, particularly in Asia.

* Already by 2025, 72 per cent of the world's older persons - about 858 million people - will be living in developing countries.

* Further, it is projected that by 2030, more than three quarters of the world's old people will live in industrial regions - more than half in Asia and more than a quarter in China alone.

* Today, the population aged 60 years and older is estimated at nearly 1 person in 10 worldwide, with a gender ratio of 302 million women to 247 million men. According to a recent World Bank study, 1 elderly person in 4 is over 75 years of age, and two thirds of this category are women. Sixty-one per cent of the world's women over the age of 80 live in developed regions. But by 2025, the majority will live in developing regions. Today, 44 per cent of all older women live in Asia, 6 per cent in Africa and 7 per cent in Latin America, with the remaining 43 per cent in the developed regions.

Since the demographic transition is proceeding more rapidly in developing regions, partly due to faster fertility decline, these countries will be particularly challenged to develop policies for the ageing population to ensure income, housing and health care, as well as the participation and independence of older persons.

The situation of older women

* Worldwide, women are living longer than men. The largest differences are found in Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and Central Asia. In the Russian Federation, the difference in favour of women is 12 years. In the developed regions and Central Asia, female life expectancy at birth exceeds that of males by six to eight years. In most developing regions, however, the differences are smaller. Women outlive men by three years in Africa and have the same life expectancy as men in southern Asia.

Feminization of the Elderly

The proportion of older women is steadily growing. In developed regions in 1995. the estimated number of women aged 60 and over made up moor than 20 per cent of the total female population. The corresponding proportion of men was 13 per cent. By 2025, the average proportion of elderly women in developed regions will reach 27 per cent of the female population. Elderly men will account for 22 per cent of all men. And the proportion of women aged 60 or older will almost double in eastern and southeastern Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and northern Africa.

Ensuring economic security is essential for women at all ages. It is, however, particularly critical for older women. Women are also more likely to be poorer in old age than men, for various reasons: involvement in home-making and child-bearing; interruption of careers because of family responsibilities; less investment in training and education; and labour force discrimination and lower paying jobs. Another reason is the high proportion of widowed women who, especially in developing countries, lose income and pension benefits.

Because population ageing is proceeding more rapidly in developing regions, the international community further urged Governments to consider policies and programmes for older persons "as part of overall development strategies" in the "Proclamation on Ageing" adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/5.

With respect to national policies, the Proclamation on Ageing proposes that "the entire population" be engaged in "preparing for later stages in life", and that "old and young generations cooperate in creating a balance between tradition and innovation in economic, social and cultural development".

The objective of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999 is to promote the United Nations Principles of Older Persons and their translation into policy, practical programmes and actions, thus fostering the inclusive concept of a "society for all". As explored at the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in March 1995 and attended by 117 Heads of State and Government, the concept of a "society for all" recognizes that:

* Inclusive societies respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, cultural and religious diversity, social justice, democratic participation and the rule of law. Younger and older generations are enabled to invest in one another and share the fruits of that investment, guided by the principles of reciprocity and equity.

* Ageing is a multidimensional, multisectoral and multigenerational process encompassing the situation of older persons, the individual's life-long development and relationships between the generations.

The Copenhagen Programme of Action, adopted at the World Summit for Social Development, urges Governments to make "particular efforts" to protect older persons, especially by:

* Creating a financial environment that encourages people to save for their old age;

* Strengthening measures and mechanisms to ensure that retired persons do not fall into poverty, taking into account their contribution to the development of their countries; and

* Encouraging and supporting cross-generational participation in policy and programme development and in decision-making bodies at all levels.

RELATED ARTICLE: The United Nations Response

In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated 1 October as the "International Day of Older Persons". In 1991, the Assembly adopted the "United Nations Principles for Older Persons" (resolution 46/91), encouraging Governments to incorporate them into national programmes whenever possible.

The Principles call for action in many areas, among them:

Independence: Older persons should have access to food, water; shelter, clothing, health care, work and other income-generating opportunities, education, training and a life in safe environments.

Participation: Older persons should remain integrated and participate actively in the formulation of policies affecting their well-being and be able to serve the community and form associations.

Care: Older persons should have access to social and legal services and health care, so that they can maintain the optimum level of physical, mental and emotional well-being and be able to enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms, including full respect for dignity, beliefs, needs and privacy.

Self-fulfillment: Older persons should have access to educational, cultural, spiritual and recreational resources and be able to pursue opportunities for the full development of their potential.

Dignity: Older persons should be able to live in dignity and security, be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse, and be treated fairly regardless of age, gender and racial or ethnic background.

RELATED ARTICLE: Not One Single Group

The elderly population of the world has become an issue of concern and challenge in many developed and developing countries as their numbers have begun to grow rapidly, according to the Population Division of the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis.

However, the elderly are not a homogeneous group. The "oldest-old" - 80 years of age or older - are one of the fastest growing population segments in the world. Their concerns and needs are often quite different from the younger elderly-aged 60 to 79. With the numbers of the oldest-old increasing rapidly, demographers and other scientists are taking notice and beginning to "uncover" them separately in their studies.

Beginning with the next round of population estimates and projections due out in 1998, the United Nations will separately consider populations in 5-year age groups: 80 to 84, 85 to 89, 90 to 94, 95 to 99 and 100 or over. That will mark the first time that the international community will

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RELATED ARTICLE: Celebration or Soul-Searching?

Barring human catastrophes of a truly cataclysmic nature, the ageing of populations will continue into the twenty-first century regardless of many of the other factors. The ageing of populations will, in particular, be marked by substantial increases in the numbers of the very old - 80 plus - whose needs for assistance and care have traditionally been high. It will also result in the ageing of the labour force itself. Whether or not population ageing will be a cause for celebration or a primary factor leading to a care-giving crisis will in fact depend on the measures and policies which are being developed at the present time.

Women's labour force participation rates are expected to continue to increase in most countries in the years to come. With changing family patterns, an increasing number of women are carrying the financial responsibility for the family's welfare on their own. Their labour force participation is no longer accessory - it is central to the economy, as well as to their own present and future well-being.

While some factors in the care-giving dilemma will not change, others can be modified through attitudinal changes and policy interventions. Health interventions in the areas of nutrition and early detection of acute and chronic diseases and disabilities, as well as prevention activities which compress morbidity at older ages, can make a big difference in the overall quality of life of the older person and his or her family.

A good example is related to osteoporosis, a disease most common in older women. Preventing osteoporosis through diet, exercise and other interventions, and preventing falls in later life by making home environments more secure for the needs of older persons are some examples of how frailty at older ages can be reduced. Thus the incidence of disability in old age can be reduced through mutually interactive housing and prevention policies. Similarly, financial and physical dependence can be reduced through the impact of social security and pension policies, and access to rehabilitation and restorative technologies.

Much has been written about the demise of the family at the end of the twentieth century; but in spite of the prevalence of the nuclear-type family in most industrialized countries - and increasingly also in the developing world - and in spite of an increase in geographic distance between older and younger family members, research has shown that family care is still the dominant model of care for the elderly. At the same time, however, urgent warnings are being sounded that the traditional model of family care will become increasingly dysfunctional, first, because the elderly themselves do not necessarily expect or prefer it, and, second, because without proper support, female care givers, most of whom are in the workforce, will no longer be able to provide it.

This means, of course, that new models of family care will have to be found because families will always be concerned about the well-being of their individual members. With the proper policy mix of public and private sector support, family care will continue to be possible. In fact, it should be made more possible from the workplace as well. In more concrete terms, the care giver should be enabled to become the care manager, and assistance should be available to minimize any negative effects on the workplace. In this way, it will not only be possible to provide care from the workplace, but, if necessary, also from a distance. This can be achieved only if the legitimate needs of the working family care giver are being addressed from the dual perspective of family and working life.