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.

Femininization 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 more than 20 per cent of the total female population. The corresponding proportion of men was 15 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.

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