Mr. President,
Excellencies Heads of delegation,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Allow me first of all, to congratulate you on behalf of my Government on your election and on the convening of this Second World Assembly on Aging in your friendly country twenty years after the convening of the first one in Vienna in 1982. It is our hope that under your able leadership this Assembly will achieve the intended objectives at the end of its deliberations. In this respect, the adoption of the political declaration and the draft international plan of action will stand as manifestation of the renewed political will of all countries to address issues of older person.

Mr. President,

Today's world is witnessing series of crises, compounded by the continued imbalance in the distribution of wealth and resources between the countries of the north and those of the south. The widening gap among and within countries, coupled by the mounting debt and debt servicing problems which lead to serious deficits in the balance of payment of developing countries, does divert emphasis and attention from the important task of development. Furthermore, the continuing decline of official development assistance by donor countries is adversely affecting efforts of developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement their national programmes of social and economic development. May we call upon donor countries who have not done so to fulfill their commitments of providing the internationally agreed target of 0.7% of their gross national product to over all development assistance in developing countries, and 0.15% for least developed countries.
 

Mr. President,

Because of the special attention given by my Government to the issues of  older persons, the delegation of my country has actively participated in all the preparatory process leading to this Assembly. To this effect, we established a high-level national preparatory committee that included representation from relevant governmental and non-governmental sectors, and members of civil society.

Mr. President,

As stipulated in the constitution, and without distinction as to race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion or culture, the social system in the Sudan provides equal participation opportunities to all. This principle is further reflected in national policies on population, which aim, among others, at improving the well-being of the population and achieving social development for all sectors of the society.

Mr. President,

In accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and international plans of action and strategies on ageing, my government has prepared and established national plans and committees to implement these strategies. Indeed, older persons in my country are highly respected and honoured. They are seen as the family reference, corner stone for stability, reservoir of tranquility and love in the family and the society. They are the source of experience and wisdom, the reflection of history, civility and culture and they stand as educational institutions that help in the upbringing and preparation of the younger generations for future life.

For all those reasons, the ten-year national strategy for development place particular emphasis on the welfare of older persons within the family and the community - taking into account that the extended form of the family is dominant in our society. The family remains the basic unit of the society and as such should be given adequate support to carry out its societal duties. In Sudan, older persons (especially grand parents) are considered the pillars of the family. Despite the provision of homes for the elderly and care institutions, the cultural and traditional beliefs of our society necessitate that care and respect for the elderly should naturally be provided through the family, and that the off-spring should not abandon their elderly, and in this respect we reflect congruent positions with both the African and the Arab groups during their respective preparatory meetings.

Mr. President,

Attention to the issues of older persons is not limited to the level of the extended family and the local community. It also involves scientific foundations and research institutions. These institutions need to determine their needs, intellectual, and scientific capabilities. Moreover, educational, cultural, and information institutions have also shown interest in issues relating to older persons with the aim of recording their experiences. It is to be noted that, in Sudan older persons carry out the mission of mediation in settling disputes at the level of the family and the community. They have a leading role in issues related to peace from within, and the dissemination of the culture of peace. Most of them act as leaders, heads and members of local courts. To sum up, the best description of older persons' role in the society is to say that they are the mechanism of social adjustment.
 

Mr. President,

Proceeding from its keenness to promote the cause of older persons, my Government is endeavouring through widening of social welfare umbrella to expand the insurance services, not only to the insured, but also to cover those non-insured by paying insurance subscriptions to the welfare funds. They are also provided with means of production and microcredit to increase their income, besides taking care of their children. As for the vulnerable among them, who are not covered by pension and social insurance, the Zakat chamber covers their basic needs.
Within the framework of consolidating the efforts of the National Pensioners Fund, the National Insurance Fund, Zakat chamber, and the General Corporation for Health Insurance in extending services to their beneficiaries, a legislation shall soon be adopted to merge them all in one body which shall act as a comprehensive social protection umbrella.

Mr. President,

We call on the international community to give due attention to the ageing-related issues. In this connection, we renew our appeal for the mobilization of international cooperation in the field of the care of older persons, the development of their services and to support the efforts of the developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in order to enable them to implement the plan of action which will be endorsed by this Assembly. This goal would not be achieved unless new mechanisms were to be created such as the establishment of an international fund for ageing in the developing countries. Another effective mechanism could be the cancellation of foreign debts of developing counties, to enable them render better services in the framework of their development programmes, especially those aimed at alleviating poverty and expanding the umbrella of social protection to include all vulnerable groups of the society, including older persons.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, we also call upon the international community to give particular attention to older persons in situations of armed conflict and foreign occupation. In this respect, we draw attention to the serious situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. We call for the immediate seizure of all forms of violations perpetrated against the Palestinian population. We further call for their protection and to put an end to their daily suffering, in particular the older persons.

Thank you Mr. President.