Mr. President
Mr. Secretary General Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I would like to thank the Spanish government for the magnificent welcome they have given us and the splendid organization of this Assembly and stress that we share concern for the matter which has brought us together here.

Due to its specific social and demographic characteristics, the Principality of Andorra does not have as high a level of ageing population as other countries around us (in the year 2000 12.5% of the population was over 64). Even so, observing the gradual increase of elderly people living in our country, we are aware of the growing complexity of their needs, especially in the case of those persons who can no longer fend for themselves. This is why Andorra has followed the international trends and strategic lines in the question of ageing and attempted to increase its overall knowledge of this phenomenon so as to design new social policies which will increase the wellbeing of our older citizens by following the directives and recommendations of the International Action Plan approved during the First World Assembly on Ageing held in Vienna in 1982.

Thus the Principality of Andorra has included in its social policies the United Nations' Principles in favour of the elderly, approved by the United Nations' General Assembly (resolution 46/91) on 16 December 1991.

With regard to ageing, Andorra insisted in 1995 on including the following undertaking in the Declaration by Heads of State and Government at the Copenhagen Summit on social Development: We shall recognize and respect the contribution of persons of all ages as being equally and decisively important for the building of a harmonious society and shall encourage dialogue between the various generations in all sectors of society. (... )

During the holding of International Old Persons' Year in 1999 the Andorran government carried out a survey of the elderly to get to know and understand their situation, characteristics and conditions of fife so as to design and build "an Andorra for all ages". After carrying out this approach to reality and to mark the holding of the Second World Assembly on Ageing which has brought us here today, the Andorran government has been working to draw up a National Plan for and with the elderly.

The expression of this Plan starts from the internationally recognized concept of active ageing, understood as "the process by which opportunities for physical, social and mental wellbeing are optimized throughout life with the aim of extending the hope for a healthy fife, productivity and quality of living in old age".

In this way, following the principles for action of the International Plan for Ageing, the principles of the United Nations for the elderly and the general principles of our Carta Magna, this plan aims at guaranteeing overall attention to the needs of the elderly, centred on a social and health focus for the improvement of the wellbeing of the elderly.

The general principles of the Andorran National Plan for the Elderly are as follows:

a) A definition of the rights and duties of the elderly.
b) Equal responsibility of the individual, the family and the state for the wellbeing of the elderly.
c) Social solidarity and encouragement of inter-generational attitudes.
d) Individual and collective participation of the elderly in everything affecting them.
e) Giving priority to preventive actions and the continuity of persons in their own environment.
f) Aiming action at full autonomy of individuals and their families and avoiding situations which generate dependence.
g) Designing transversal programs and actions centred on the real needs of people and seeking to optimize existing resources and to innovate in action programs and methods.
h) Shared financing of services and contributions and, to conclude,
i) A follow up, check and evaluation of the programs and their quality.

Around the main needs detected in this group and following these basic principles, a series of priority action fines have been set up so as to achieve the goal proposed which will at a later date be carried into practice in a whole series of programs and projects. The eight action fines marked out are:

o Prevention to ensure the maintenance of health and wellbeing.
o Overall attention to the elderly.
o Maintaining them in their environment.
o Attention to elderly persons with dependences.
o Participation and the protection of the rights of the elderly.
o The sharing of knowledge.
o The training of the professionals and research and, lastly, solidarity and the raising of social awareness.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Principality of Andorra is aware of the public social responsibility entailed by taking up the challenge to build a more just society in which age is not a barrier to the active participation by our citizens in the social, cultural, economic and political life of the country - which is after all what building a society for all ages means.

Thank you.