Mr President, 
Distinguished delegates, 
Ladies and Gentlemen 
 

The Maltese delegation has aligned with the statement made by the distinguished representative of Spain on behalf of the European Union. In my intervention, I will focus on some issues related to ageing and on measures to promote the well-being of older persons from a national perspective. 

In 1968 Malta took the initiative to put the phenomenon of ageing on the United Nations agenda. Following the recommendations of the First World Assembly, the Maltese Government made a significant contribution towards the establishment in Malta of the International Institute on Ageing under the auspices of the United Nations. The Institute was inaugurated in April 1988 by the then UN Secretary General. 

Through its continued financial support to the International Institute, Malta is showing its commitment to a worldwide approach to meeting the challenges of ageing particularly in the field of training in developing countries. The Maltese Government has established a model in almost laboratory conditions ensuring a holistic approach ranging from specialisation in gerontology and geriatrics to practical applications in such fields as information technology. 

Mr President, 

Ageing has for the past decades been a central theme on Malta's socio-political agenda. Malta retains age 60 years as the threshold of old age. The provision of services has always been perceived as a means of communication alternatively a way of responding to people's needs. While an older person presents his or her individual needs, the service provider responds by awarding the appropriate support strategy. In view of the heterogeneity of the client group in focus, the nature of services on offer ranges from home-based support schemes to community based services to residential care. 

Guided by the popular preference for remaining in one's own home, Malta has over the past years introduced a network of domiciliary services aimed at providing personalised care and support to older persons thus enabling them to continue living in their own home for as long as possible. Although it is not my intention to go into detail about the available services, kindly allow me to mention, by way of  example, some of those services that have proved to be most popular among our older citizens. 

The Home Care Help Service offering physical, social and domestic support to older persons, was the first such scheme to be introduced way back in 1988. Telecare, a telephone life-line system was introduced in 1990 with the aim of providing peace of mind to older persons, particularly those living alone, in their own home. Minor repair requirements in the home often prove to be too much of a hassle for frail older persons to cope with.   In cognisance of this reality, the Handyman Service providing minor repair works in clients' homes was introduced. 

In acknowledgement of the fact that older persons should remain active and socially integrated for as long as possible, a number of Day Centres have been set up in various towns and villages. These venues offer our older adults the opportunity to meet with their peers, share experiences, practice their hobbies, widen their general knowledge and learn things that are of particular relevance to their physical and psycho-social needs. 

Notwithstanding these various support strategies, there would still be people who are unable to cope in their own home and would therefore require residential care. While the pioneer role of the Roman Catholic Church in this sphere of care cannot be overlooked, yet my Government did not shirk from its socio-political responsibility and has, over the past fifteen years, expanded residential care services by setting up a number of community homes in various localities so as to cater for the growing need for such a care strategy. 

The range and diversity of services introduced over the past years reflect an ongoing commitment towards the welfare of our older citizens and the respite needs of their carers, in most instances close relatives. Yet the effectiveness of formal services relies heavily on suitably trained personnel and therefore no effort has been spared to provide training opportunities in gerontology and geriatrics. At this point I must acknowledge the valuable contribution of the UN International Institute on Ageing to which I have already referred as well as that of the University of Malta. These bodies have over the past years provided specialised training to persons coming from various disciplines thus enhancing the human resource input in the field of elderly care. 

Mr President, 

The wide spectrum of care services developed over the past years ensures that the physical and psycho-social needs and wishes of our older adults are satisfactorily met. Although my Government is proud of its track record in the field of elderly care, yet at the same time it acknowledges the reality that the State should not and cannot be the sole care provider. It is within this context that we are pleased to note that the private sector in Malta is becoming ever conscious of this national social need and is in fact contributing its fair share towards the growing demand for formal support services particularly through the provision of private residential care facilities. 

While shouldering its political responsibility of providing the social safety net that ensures effective support at all times, at the same time my Government strongly believes in social partnerships and the need to consolidate resources with a view to provide the best care possible to our citizens. This is the philosophy that has over the past few years led to closer collaboration between the Government and the private sector in the field of elderly care. Public-private mix initiatives may be considered as a rather recent approach yet it would have been inappropriate to resort to such arrangements before Government was sure that it had a public network of services in place that could provide an extensive and sound safety net to cater for any eventuality. 

Government's next goal is now to benchmark best practices and establish minimum standards so as to ensure that all social partners are providing services that befit the dignity of the older individual. Benchmarking should therefore not only guarantee improved service provision but should also safeguard the rights and interests of service users. 

We trust that our achievements and short-term goals effectively address the physical and psycho-social needs of our older persons. While we reaffirm our commitment to regularly review and possibly improve existing services in line with emerging priority needs, we feel that there are highly pertinent ethical issues that may have to date been sidelined by more pressing and conspicuous physical needs but which now need to be addressed. Although ethical issues transcend national frontiers yet values then need to translate themselves into policies and practices that are congruent with a country's culture. 

In view of the universality of this subject matter, the Government of Malta has circulated a declaration (A/CONF.197/5) on ethical issues on old age. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention some of the concepts that I feel warrant further discussion, namely: 
 

1. Autonomy, in its various dimensions is the basis of human dignity. A decline in the three main aspects of personal autonomy namely physical deterioration, intellectual disability and psychological incapacity asks for different moral responses. 
2.   Justice extends beyond legal provisions and requires that people do not resort to derogatory verbal communication or offensive inferences when talking to or about older persons. Language is therefore a key contributor to respectful behaviour. 
3. Intergenerational relationships and intercohort support promote solidarity and social cohesion. The application of the principle of subsidiarity enhances the dignity of the individual and ensures that he/she remains socially integrated. 
4. Older persons who are often perceived as consumers of informal and formal services, are morally obliged to contribute towards the common good of humankind by productively using their talents and sharing their life experiences. 

As we persevere in our endeavour to promote the well-being of humankind, let us not overlook the dignity and totality of the human person, let us not be led astray by the material needs of the individual and be oblivious of the positive contribution that he or she can make to the rest of society. May we always be sensitive to the subtle, often inconspicuous yet ever-present needs and wishes, rights and obligations of all members of our society. May the policies that we devise prove to be a source of empowerment for the individual to keep him or her a physically functional, socially integrated, psychologically fulfilled member of our community. 

Mr President, 

In the light of the foregoing, on behalf of the Government of Malta, I propose that this World Assembly request the United Nations Secretary General to establish an international task force of experts mandated to prepare a comprehensive report in which they examine the moral questions concerning the process of ageing. The taskforce will not be expected to provide definite answers to all the questions that arise but to come up with different solutions that can be reasonably considered by public or private decision-makers. The objective of the Report will be the enhancement of general awareness of the moral issues involving older persons and of the responsibility in settling them. 

Thank you.