Creation of age-integrated society in which discrimination and involuntary age segregation are eliminated and in which solidarity and mutual assistance of generations are supported belongs among the aims of the socio-economic development in the Slovak Republic.

Social policy of the government of the Slovak Republic presupposes broadest possible consensus on issues of increased personal participation of citizens in and responsibility of citizens for their own fortune. Prolonging life poses a question how to add more quality to those years reached. We welcome thus this world appointment and highly appreciate activities of the United Nations in this area. The issue of ageing is of supranational dimension. Hence also the Slovak Republic has been actively participating in preparatory meetings and in elaboration of the revised action plan on ageing, currently being approved. Our evaluation of the prepared draft of the revised action plan on ageing is positive. Mainly for the fact, that the draft includes comprehensive policy of long-term strategy on population ageing.

Key challenge of the new millennium is to improve the quality of life. In Slovakia we are also aware that success of changes in our society will very much depend on the choice of appropriate and mutually interrelated strategies in the areas of employment, pension security and healthcare, and on the support of social cohesion. I am sure that in taking our decisions we will benefit from the results of this session and from the overall policy on ageing adjusted to the conditions in the Slovak Republic.

Strategy of active ageing is a basic strategy in policy on ageing and policy for older persons. In Slovakia, it is based on:

  - Expanding of the life-long learning process beyond the retirement.

  - Adjusting employment policy to the process of ageing of population.

  - Decreasing of sensitivity of the pension reform agenda to demographic and other changes.

  - Healthy ageing via enhancement of medical and social services.

  - Active work of older persons in non-governmental voluntary sector.

Just like the family and employment gain more and more importance in the life of the human being in general, their importance is even higher in the life of older persons. Eliminating discrimination on the labour market and guaranteeing equal treatment in professional life also for older persons are based on their right to work derived from their capacity to perform the job and not from their chronological age. We are glad that this approach has been chosen also by the European Union, accession to which has been our priority.

With the aim to create comprehensive government policy for older persons the government of the Slovak Republic adopted the National Programme on Protection of Older Persons in the year 1999. The given document includes explicitly formulated principles of individual policies in respect to older persons. In order to secure permanent continuation of certain activities aiming at increasing of the quality of life of older persons the government of the Slovak Republic regularly evaluates and updates the Programme.

To respond positively to the recommendations of the UN Resolution No 52/80, Slovakia has established a Coordinating Committee for Protection of Older Persons as an expert advisory body for the minister of labour, social affairs and family. The Committee will be permanently dealing with issues related to status and protection of older persons.

In conclusion, I wish to say that the conventional idea of a boundary between productive and post-productive parts of the life will have to be substituted by the policy of quality ageing in future, based on permanent convergence of education, work and spare-time activities. The aim is to substitute the model of age differentiation by the model of age integration, in which the boundaries among work, life-long training and hobbies are loose, and these activities overlap during the entire life; in accordance with the UN principles and the UN Resolution No 46/91, the mission of which has been expressed in the introductory motto: "Add life to years, that were added to life."