Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We should like to offer our warmest thanks to the authorities and the people of Spain for agreeing to host this second World Conference on Ageing. Thanks to the initiative taken by the United Nations, this conference represents an ideal occasion for governments and the community to reflect on their policies with regard to old people and an ageing population and to better prepare for the challenges of the future. In order to deal with these challenges it is important that all countries, including Switzerland, give all members of the population, including old people in particular, a full say in this process of reflection. 
 

One of the achievements of the industrialised countries during the last century was to set up good social security services for old people. In these countries old-age is happily no longer a synonym for poverty. But this does not mean that we can sit back and think our work is done. On the contrary, we must look after what has been achieved with such effort and also improve what still remains to be improved. Finally, we must also cooperate with developing countries to help them set up an adequate system of social security for old people. 
 

Twenty years after Vienna, it would appear that the developing countries, including the poorest of them, will also have to face the issue of an ageing population and that they will have to do so against an unfavourable background. It goes without saying that the solutions already applied or planned in the industrialised countries cannot be transposed to other parts of the world as they stand, and that the developing countries will have to look for their own answers, with the support of the United Nations, the special 'UN agencies, and international or local NGOs if necessary. The great achievement of Madrid is that all countries, including the developing countries, will from now on be able to base their policies on the principles of an Action Plan, taking into account their specific circumstances, in order to draw up concrete and pragmatic solutions for old people. A massive and long-term effort still needs to be made to combat poverty, one of the principal causes of illness and exclusion. It is also true that old people are particularly vulnerable in situations of violence, armed conflict and the forced migration which is a direct consequence, and priority must be given to this problem. 
 

Switzerland shares the basic values on which the Action Plan presented here is founded: it is essential that the basic needs of old people are covered, but it is also necessary that their fundamental rights are respected and that discrimination based notably on age and sex is eliminated. Bringing together the community and old people themselves to search for solutions which affect them directly is a true choice for society. In a multi-cultural society like Switzerland, where the number of foreigners is high, this means in particular taking into account the specific problems that immigrants face in their old age. For example a person who came to Switzerland to work and has now reached retirement age may well be torn between going back to his country of origin or staying in Switzerland with his children. In addition, he may see the choice of having homehelp or going into an old people's home quite differently. 
 

We are also very pleased that the Action Plan is not simply a list of individual rights but sets out situations in which it is important to listen to old people, to include them in decisions which will affect them directly, and to respect their preferences. Taking an interest in the specific needs of one section of the population, be it old people, women or children, does not mean granting privileges to one section of the population over another. On the contrary, this pragmatic and realistic approach in fact reinforces the rights of every member of the population. 
 

Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the efforts made to face the challenge of an ageing population women play an essential role in our society. After in most cases having brought up their children, they are needed to look after their parents or parents-in-law. They are often called on to look after their grandchildren too. They take on one duty after another, often exhausting themselves and finding it difficult to reconcile all their responsibilities. The role ofwomen is not given enough recognition in our society, however. It merits more appreciation, notably through setting up a specific old-age pension scheme.

As life expectancy rises, it is not uncommon for as many as four generations to be living under the same roof. We have to learn to live together. And this lesson includes recognition for others. So that we don't simply live alongside others but with them. 
 

Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attention.