International Day For Older Persons is celebrated on October 1, every year, at the international level. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly to focus on the well-being and special needs of elderly people.
According to the UN, between 1950 and 2010, life expectancy worldwide rose from 46 to 68 years. Globally, there were 703 million persons aged 65 or over in 2019. The region of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia was home to the largest number of older persons (261 million), followed by Europe and Northern America (over 200 million).
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International Day For Older Persons 2021: Theme
This year, the theme for the day is – “Digital Equity for All Ages.”
“The 2021 theme “Digital Equity for All Ages” affirms the need for access and meaningful participation in the digital world by older persons,” read the official site of UN.
Objectives of the theme are:
- To bring awareness of the importance of digital inclusion of older persons, while tackling stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination associated with digitalization.
- To highlight policies to leverage digital technologies for full achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
- To explore the role of policies and legal frameworks to ensure the privacy and safety of older persons in the digital world.
- To highlight the need for a legally binding instrument on the rights of older persons and an intersectional person-centred human rights approach for a society for all ages.
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International Day for Older Persons 2021: History
The UN-designated the day on December 14, 1990. Before designated the day two bodies were established by the UN, those are – the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing and the World Assembly on Ageing.
In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons (resolution 46/91). In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.