Mister Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

First, let me express the adherence of the Netherlands delegation of the declaration made by Spain on behalf of the European Union.
Ageing concerns all of us. It's no coincidence that representatives of all UN member states will spend the next couple of days examining all the issues and problems associated with ageing.

The progressively larger number of older people impacts on all facets of society: health, economy, labour, care, welfare, family. The task facing the international community is to find answers to all the challenges that ageing poses. While at this moment the wealthier countries are most strongly confronted with the effects of an ageing population, the worlds less developed countries are also seeing the rapid changes in the composition of their populations. Without exception, a shift will occur in all countries of the world between the numbers of younger and older people.

This circumstance imposes requirements that must be addressed by younger and older generations alike. In large parts of the industrialised world, a declining proportion of young people will have to bear the costs for older people, especially for the social welfare system available to them.

Equally, young people elsewhere in the world will have to care for more and more senior citizens, whether financially or through direct care in the family setting.
Now is the time to make allowance for this situation. We must think ahead to avoid falling behing. We must refine our pension systems and get them ready for the future.

Our economic system must continue to be productive, with men and women contributing to a buoyant labour market. It's not inconceivable that in many countries older people will have to go on working beyond the age now customary. That does not necessarily need to be a problem, provided that people are not exhausted by a lifelong hard work.

We need to look at work and care far more from the point of view of a life cycle perspective. Older people will continue to play a full role in society if they continue to derive pleasure from performing paid or voluntary work.

Employers must make allowance for a workforce that includes a growing number of older employees. Younger employees will have to get used to the idea of increasingly working alongside older colleagues.

At the same time, the younger generation must have sufficient time outside the workplace to support parents and other senior citizens. We need to reduce the gap that currently exists.

Solidarity between generations will become more and more important in the years ahead. The rights of older people will have to be recognised.

Older people, wherever they live, need facilities like care, accommodation and a pension. The ability to provide such facilities obviously depends very much on a country's economic situation.
Solidarity between young and old translates into solidarity between rich and poor in this instance.
Economic opportunities for less developed nations form the most important stepping-stone for creating opportunities for their older citizens.

The empowerment of older people in industrialised and less developed countries needs to be strengthened and strengthened now. Older people need a voice if their interests are to be heard. They need to have a say in society.

Governments can let that voice be heard by:

o supporting social organisations, such as senior citizens' associations
o making allowance in government policy for the specific needs of older people
o embedding rights in regulations and laws
o letting representatives of senior citizens be present at all levels in the community.

It's easy to stand here and say what needs to happen. But the fact of the matter is that the empowerment of older people will not come about automatically. Governments have to share power to empower. Every country must empower its senior citizens within its ability to do so, within its own cultural tradition, but always built on universal values, on human rights if you like.

Senior citizens are keen to continue playing a role in society. But they cannot be expected to continue bearing the full burden of work and family until the end of their days. Older people are entitled to rest after a long working life. They also are entitled to care, attention and respect. In many societies this is a highly valued, almost automatic principle. But of course older people must remain active - physically active, mentally active and socially active. Otherwise they face the terrible prospect of social isolation.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Very often, it's possible to do a lot with simple means to ensure that life remains meaningful for senior citizens for a very long time. In the Netherlands we have exercise programmes, sports and dancing. We also have volunteer work and community work done by senior citizens.

Over the past four years, we have devoted considerable attention to fitness and exercise for senior citizens.
We have noticed that they feel comfortable with these opportunities.

To return to solidarity between generations, I would say that senior citizens deserve the respect of younger generations. They have an awful lot to offer young people in terms of knowledge, wisdom and the ability to put matters in perspective.
Or as an older lady in the Netherlands mentioned to a group of young people last year: "Look at us. We are your future".

"Senior citizens at the heart of our society", is an objective we should all seek to achieve.
Thank you.