RES/24/20 The human rights of older persons

GE.A/67/188. 3-17950

Human Rights Council Twenty-fourth session

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council

24/20.

The human rights of older persons

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Guided also by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International

Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against

Women, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other relevant

human rights instruments,

Reaffirming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 65/182 of 21 December 2010 on the follow-

up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, in which the Assembly established an open-

ended working group for the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of

older persons by considering the existing international framework of the human rights of

older persons and identifying possible gaps and how best to address them, including by

considering, as appropriate, the feasibility of further instruments and measures,

Recalling also Human Rights Council resolution 21/23 of 28 September 2012 on the

human rights of older persons,

Acknowledging the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing for the

purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons,

Bearing in mind the Political Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of

Action on Ageing of 2002, and all other relevant General Assembly resolutions,

 The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its twenty-fourth session (A/HRC/24/2), Part One.

Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-

up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing1 and of the report of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights of older persons,E/2012/51.

Recalling general comment No. 6 of the Committee on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights on the economic, social and cultural rights of older persons, and other

relevant documents by treaty bodies,

Conscious that older persons represent a large and growing segment of the

population and that greater attention is needed to the specific human rights challenges

affecting them,

Concerned at the multiple forms of discrimination that may affect older persons and

at the high incidence of poverty among this particularly vulnerable group, especially older

women, persons with disabilities, persons of African descent, individuals belonging to

indigenous peoples, persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic

minorities, rural persons, persons living on the streets and refugees, among other groups,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the

Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the

Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his or her

duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1. Recognizes the challenges related to the enjoyment of all human rights that

older persons face in areas such as prevention of and protection against violence and abuse,

social protection, food and housing, employment, legal capacity, access to justice, health

support, long-term and palliative care, and that those challenges require in-depth analysis

and action to address protection gaps;

2. Acknowledges the report of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights on the consultation on the promotion and protection of

the human rights of older persons,A/HRC/24/25. which summarizes the issues discussed at the

consultation, including age discrimination, access by older persons to work, adequate health

services and social protection, protection from abuse, violence and neglect, long-term care

and the situation of older prisoners;

3. Calls upon all States to promote and ensure the full realization of all human

rights and fundamental freedoms for older persons, including by taking measures to combat

age discrimination, neglect, abuse and violence, and to address issues related to social

integration and adequate health care, bearing in mind the crucial importance of family

intergenerational interdependence, solidarity and reciprocity for social development;

4. Encourages all States to conduct their age-related policies through inclusive

and participatory consultations with relevant stakeholders and social development partners

in the interest of developing effective policies creating national policy ownership and

consensus-building;

5. Decides to appoint, for a period of three years, an Independent Expert on the

enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, with the following mandate:

(a) To assess the implementation of existing international instruments with

regard to older persons while identifying both best practices in the implementation of

existing law related to the promotion and protection of the rights of older persons and gaps

in the implementation of existing law;

(b) To take into account the views of stakeholders, including States, relevant

regional human rights mechanisms, national human rights institutions, civil society

organizations and academic institutions;

(c) To raise awareness of the challenges faced in the realization of all human

rights by older persons, and to ensure that older persons receive information about those

rights;

(d) To work in cooperation with States in order to foster the implementation of

measures that contribute to the promotion and protection of the rights of older persons;

(e) To integrate a gender and disability perspective into his/her work, and to pay

particular attention to older women, persons with disabilities, persons of African descent,

individuals belonging to indigenous peoples, persons belonging to national or ethnic,

religious and linguistic minorities, rural persons, persons living on the streets, and refugees,

among other groups;

(f) To assess the human rights implications of the implementation of the Madrid

International Plan of Action on Ageing;

(g) To work in close coordination, while avoiding unnecessary duplication, with

the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, other special procedures and subsidiary organs

of the Human Rights Council, relevant United Nations bodies and the treaty bodies;

6. Requests the Independent Expert to report annually to the Human Rights

Council and to present his/her first report at its twenty-seventh session, with a view to

presenting a comprehensive report at its thirty-third session;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the above-mentioned

comprehensive report of the Independent Expert is brought to the attention of the Open-

ended Working Group on Ageing, in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 3 of General

Assembly resolution 67/139 of 20 December 2012;

8. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with the Independent Expert, and

invites them to provide him/her with all the necessary information related to the mandate;

9. Decides to continue consideration of the question of human rights of older

persons at its twenty-seventh session.

35th meeting

27 September 2013

[Adopted without a vote.]