Mr. President, 
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, 
Your Excellencies, 
 

My delegation and I deem it an honour to be part of this Assembly, which will define a long term strategy on
ageing that will make our shared goals of a "society for all ages" a reality. 

Mr. President, 
My delegation warmly congratulates you on your election to oversee the affairs of this assembly and assure
you of our support and cooperation. May I take this opportunity to also express to you and the Government
and People of Spain, our sincere appreciation for the warm hospitality accorded to us since our arrival in this
beautiful city, Madrid. 

Mr. President, 
In recent years, a rapidly growing ageing population has certainly become one of the critical issues of concern
for the international community. Like other widespread social challenges, the perceived difficulties associated
with this unprecedented global demographic change require concerted global attention in the interest of the
ever-growing older population in society, and for the sake of society as a whole. 

This life course of humanity presents new challenges that the international community must deal with
appropriately, within the context of carefully formulated global initiatives, policies and programmes with the
ultimate aim of improving the overall social, economic, and cultural well-being of mankind. 

Mr. President, 
Older persons constitute about 8% of the population of Ghana, reflecting increases in life expectancy, as a
result of improved general health services, education, and technology. Population ageing is becoming an issue
of concern in Ghana, in view of its social and economic implications on national development. It is
anticipated that very soon there will be a significant increase in the dependant population due to the growth in
the number of older persons, higher birth rates and the impact of HIV/AIDS. The economically active group will therefore be unable to support and cater for the rapidly increasing dependent group including older persons, who in the Ghanaian society are basically the responsibility of the family and community. 

Mr. President, 
Modernization, urbanization and migration, particularly the rural-urban migration by the working population,
have created social distance resulting in a proportional increase in the number of neglected and isolated older
persons, especially in the rural communities. Older persons in rural areas in many African countries are
therefore struggling to cope and fend for themselves in order to survive. In cases where they receive some
help, many of them are abused in the process by the help providers. 

Mr. President, 
In reaction to the challenges of an ageing society, the Government of Ghana in 1997, developed a National
Policy on Ageing. Poverty, poor nutrition, poor housing, and poor access to health facilities have been
identified as some of the major problems faced by older persons throughout the country. In the formulation
of broad National Policy guidelines to address these difficulties, it was recognized that the promotion of the
social integration of older persons into mainstream development was fundamental to the achievement of the
national goals. 

In that regard, as a primary step towards the attainment of social integration, the policy recommends, inter
alia, that older persons' developmental and economic role in society should be recognized and rewarded and
their rights respected. The policy further recommends the facilitation of quality life at old age, promotion of
healthy ageing among the youth and support for community care. Emphasis is also placed on mental health
and the special needs of older women. 

Mr. President, 
The role of the family as the basic unit of society is recognized as being essential to the attainment of social
integration. The National Policy consequently outlines measures to support families to continue to offer care
and support to older members. It also promotes access to community services to supplement the family care. 

The observance of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999, in which Ghana actively participated,
enhanced awareness among Ghanaians, and since then, the Government of Ghana, NGOs and the Civil
Society have kept up the momentum of the celebrations and highlighted the needs of older persons in the
society. Conscious efforts are being made by all stakeholders to ensure that older persons are not neglected
or abused by the society, especially the family and their community members. 

I am happy also to inform you that in addition to the United Nations day of older persons, Ghana has
designated the first of July, her Republic day, as another Senior Citizens' day in appreciation of the immense
contribution of older persons to the development of the nation. The day is marked each year with durbars
nationwide under a chosen theme, and state functions are held to honour the senior citizens. 

Turning to the agenda before us, the significance of cultural differences in the perception and treatment of
old age is an issue my delegation would like to emphasize in our collective effort to map out an
internationally adaptable strategy to address this global demographic challenge. The diversity of cultures is an
undeniable fact and cannot be ignored in dealing with such an important social issue. 

Mr. President, 
The problem of poverty and social unrest that contribute to mass population movement resulting in
refugeeism and social alienation are also critical issues that need to be addressed, if older persons in most
developing countries especially, in Africa, are to enjoy their fair share of the benefits of social inclusion so
that ' a Society for All Ages' becomes a reality. 

We will urge that due cognisance be taken of the multi-cultural diversity and economic disparity among
countries in designing programmes and strategies to address global ageing. Similarly, efforts have to be made
to stop negative traditional and cultural practices and beliefs. 

We restate our commitment to the goals of the Copenhagen Declaration and its follow-up process in 2000,
which seeks to promote social development that would be beneficial to all members of a society, whether
young or old. Again, we fully support the goals of this Assembly and will endeavour to incorporate the
essential outcomes into our national policies. 

Mr. President, 
In our quest to enhance the social, economic and cultural well being of older persons, we are constrained by
inadequate institutional structures, limited financial resources and lack of human capacity. 

Income security for older persons, a general concern in Africa and in Ghana in particular, is also a priority
issue for my Government, in view of the existence of a large and expanding informal sector, which is
virtually not covered by the Social Security and Pension Schemes in operation. Government is, therefore, is
making the effort to develop appropriate, comprehensive and implementable pension schemes that can cater
for the income needs of older persons through out the country. The Government of Ghana will continue to
encourage and strengthen the family support base and also create an enabling environment for active older
persons to continue to work and enjoy economic life. 

Mr. President, 
The United Nations statistics indicate that the rate of growth of ageing in developing countries is higher than
in developed countries. Thus, developing countries have a very limited time to adapt to the changes and
address the consequences of an ageing population. We, therefore, call for increased international cooperation,
especially with regard to strengthening health facilities, education, and the development of social protection
and economic support systems, to enable our countries formulate appropriate and suitable strategies to deal
with these emerging difficulties. Through our deliberations, I trust that we shall share some ideas and
solutions to these issues that will help us map out a strategic plan, to overcome the challenges of an ageing
population. 

Thank you for your kind attention.