United Nations Programme on Ageing

REGIONAL IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

I. Older persons and development

1) MAINSTREAMING AGEING INTO DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND PROMOTING FULL INTEGRATION AND PARTICIPATION OF OLDER PERSONS

While most countries in the region have attached high priority to ageing issues at both national and international levels, a considerable number of countries have encountered difficulties in mainstreaming ageing into all relevant policy areas. The difficulties include lack of funds, insufficient training for implementation, ineffective inter-department cooperation and shortage of staff.

Older persons are at a greater risk of being denied the opportunity to participate in society and to benefit from economic and social development. Large numbers of older persons in the region live in rural and remote areas without much family and community support and face problems in having access to infrastructure and services. The crucial roles played by older persons in families and communities and their contributions are often insufficiently recognized and their potentials and experiences are often under-utilized. Creative solutions are required to prevent isolation, neglect and abuse of older persons.

Take population ageing into account in relevant policy planning;
Collect and utilize appropriate data to guide policy, in particular age- and gender- disaggregated data from censuses;
Place emphasis on seeking ways to increase the efficiency of existing systems and open up new sources of revenue;
Strengthen national capacity for policy making and implementation through the provision of training opportunities, technical assistance and advisory services on implementation;
Promote inter-departmental collaboration within countries such that the policies in response to population ageing are able to adopt a holistic approach and be pursued in a coordinated way over a wide range of policy areas;
Recognize and support the valuable contributions of older persons, especially unpaid activities, such as care for family members, transmission of cultural values, household maintenance and voluntary services in the community, and view those as an integral part of national policies regarding resource mobilization;
Promote the social, economic, political and cultural participation of older persons through advocacy, educational activities, removing barriers, and encouraging representation of older persons and their representative organizations in decision-making processes on issues of their concern.

2) PROVISION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION AND SECURITY

In many countries in the region, people working in the informal sector, staying in rural areas and engaged in subsistence activities are often not covered by adequate social protection or security. While attempts have been made to introduce more comprehensive long-term provision, currently pension schemes often have very low coverage, are unable to take care of the group of older persons who have retired from work or are presently without work and earnings, or they cater mainly for employees in the public sector. How to meet the present needs of the growing number of retirees, while formulating a long-term viable pension system, becomes a pressing concern of both developed and developing countries in the region.

The key strategy in this area is to address the issue of how to adapt existing social protection/social security systems to demographic changes and changes in family structures. To be effective, they must be supported by high level of employment, comprehensive health services and educational systems which enable both the young and the older persons to effectively participate in the labour force. Reforms of existing pension systems and development of alternatives to provide formal retirement protection has grown in urgency in the region. It has been evident from the experience of the advanced countries that no government could afford to support any universal provision with low tax revenue. There are choices within two polarized fiscal policies: high taxation for a more universal provision or a reasonable taxation to support only the most needy. The trend is to shift the emphasis more to individual or corporate savings, financial investments and contributory schemes, such that the individual can secure a better income for his/her old age.

Establish sustainable social protection/social security systems now taking into account the long lead time necessary to ensure provision for older persons in future decades;
Establish or develop a regulatory framework for occupational and private pension provision; and recognize the growing trend of governments to encourage private savings and investments during working age and the introduction of contributory pension schemes;
Provide adequate social protection/social security coverage for the labour force in general, including the agricultural and informal sectors and older persons in particular, recognizing the role of government as supporter and regulator, which on the one hand assists employers to adjust to structural changes and other economic shocks, and on the other hand, guides and monitors;
Gather periodic information and better utilize existing data on the conditions of living, sources of income and expenditure patterns of older men and women to provide a reliable basis for formulating policies on income security.

3) ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY IN OLD AGE

Poverty alleviation is a priority for many countries in the region where the prevelance of poverty is high. Older persons are consistently among the poorest groups in the region. The economic crisis in the late 1990s further indicated heightened prevalence of poverty and incidence of extreme poverty in the region, with resulting increased unemployment and vulnerability, particularly among older persons.

In the absence of more formal employment opportunities and adequate social protection/social security provision, it is important to develop alternative approaches to income security for older persons.

Include older persons as a target group in poverty alleviation programmes at all levels, including income generation schemes and savings and credit programmes with emphasis on high risk groups such as women;
Ensure that older persons are provided with adequate social protection, social security, including social assistance;
Support the capacity of older persons to undertake income generation schemes;
Ensure the inclusion of older persons and promote their participation in poverty assessments and in the development and implementation of national poverty reduction strategies.

4) OLDER PERSONS AND EMERGENCIES

Older persons, especially those without families, are particularly vulnerable during natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies. While less able to find food and shelter during disasters, older persons, however, also provide assistance during emergency situations through assuming primary care giving roles, their ability to cope, and their life skills in rehabilitation and reconstruction of communities after emergencies.

5) PROMOTING POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS AGEING AND OLDER PERSONS

Older persons are entitled to be treated in accordance with the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, namely independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity. An all-round approach that emphasizes education, advocacy, legislation and demonstration is required.

A major challenge is to undo or alter the often negative stereotypes of older people among the general population. Despite the fact that strategies that promote positive images of ageing have been developed to varying degrees and levels, the stereotyping of older people as dependent, frail, troublesome and without contribution and creativity is still prevailing, especially when they are portrayed in the mass media.

Promote through such measures as media campaigns and school curricula, recognition of the contribution of older persons to society which extends beyond their economic activities, and benefits families, communities and society as a whole;
Promote demonstration projects which highlight the abilities of active, healthy, creative and productive older persons, volunteer projects or inter-generational learning projects;
Encourage the media to promote positive images of ageing in newspaper and magazine articles, films, and radio and television programmes;
Encourage older persons to consciously enhance their image by accessing themselves through all available means.

6) EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER PERSONS

Measures to achieve productive ageing through the continued employment of older persons in the workforce are yet to succeed in the region. Increasing aged dependency ratios will put stress on the working-age population to support sustainable income security systems for older persons.

In the more developed countries, retirement alternatives have been examined, such as delaying retirement age and gradual or flexi-age retirement arrangements. On the saving side, people are encouraged to save more for their old age while governments are increasingly emphasizing contributory public pension arrangements for workers in the formal sector. There is also evidence of greater interest in governments providing minimum subsistence benefits through non-contributory pensions for the rural population or means-tested benefits for the poor and needy in the informal sector. There are also suggestions to utilize cross-generational contributions, requiring children to pay for their parents’ daily expenses.

Provide incentives and remove disincentives for people to remain in the workforce where appropriate;
Promote employment and employability through retraining programmes and lifelong education, and encourage positive employer attitudes towards the recruitment and retention of older workers;
Seek effective measures to combat unemployment, and create new job openings through implementing active labour market policies, such as setting up mechanisms for job matching, job-search assistance, training, vocational guidance, and counseling, including for older persons who wish to work.

7) RECOGNIZING GENDER SPECIFIC ISSUES IN AGEING

One of the impacts of population ageing in the Asia-Pacific region is that women form the majority of people in very old age (75 and above). They are more vulnerable, and are more likely to lack income security and skills and to be widowed. Women also are the primary care givers. Many women work only in the home, experience broken work patterns and lower income levels, and in many cases work in the informal sector resulting in the inability to accumulate sufficient retirement income. It is thus important for policy makers in the region to adopt a gender perspective in their formulation of policies and plans of action.

Enhance support for family caregivers, the vast majority of whom are women, to combine work and family life;
Promote and support greater male resonsibility in the family, including the care of older persons;
Increase the participation of women in the labour force through education and training, adopt measures to open job opportunities for them and reconcile their professional and family responsibilities, and avoid discriminatory action in salary scales and pension systems;
Eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and empower them through the promotion of economic and social independence, as well as participation in social and political arenas.