Your Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored to speak before this Assembly wonderfully hosted by Spain, this land of Cervantes.

In 1982, I served as WHO advisor to the First Assembly.

As a physician and gerontologist, I welcome the revolution in longevity, a great human achievement. The historic demographic shift offers opportunities and challenges.

I do not agree with the doomsayers who express grave concerns about the consequences of population aging.

After all, in the 20th Century, we have already provided many social protections and medical advances that have reduced disability and advanced quality of life.

Of course, this adaptation is not complete - and this century - the 21St - will bring new challenges and probably further longevity due to gene based medicine. And there will be social, economic, cultural, moral and personal consequences to be dealt with.

Here are specific goals that the revised Plan should emphasize:

        1. Advance productive, active, healthy aging. 
 

        2. Expand research and development to ameliorate or eliminate dementia and age-related diseases. 
 

        3. Ensure the best geriatric care by well-trained health personnel. 
 

        4. Enforce human rights of older persons - Secretary Kofi Annan has spoken of the abuses older persons   of  the world experience.
        These must end. 
 

            5. Work to end inequalities in longevity and health disparities within and among nations. We have short gevity as well as longevity. In the era of globalization, healthy productive citizens of the world is in everyone's best interest. Further, we simply must  meet the need in the developing world for developmental and humanitarian reforms. 
 

            6. We must expand social protections and eliminate poverty - imagine nearly 50% of the world's peoples living on $2 per day. 
 

            7. For the sake of our children and future generations, we must transform the character of long life and build a philosophy of longevity that offers meaning and purpose 
 
 

     To accomplish these aims requires a  new international agency - not only supported by -governments, but by industry, civil society, such as unions, and by all of us as individuals. Such a public-private partnership dedicated and funded by these partners is necessary to implement the United Nations Second World Assembly on Ageing Strategy and the revised 1982 Plan of Action.

      There should also be a Madrid +5 to see what has been accomplished and to make any necessary adjustments.

                                                         Thank you.