Population ageing has profound implications for many facets of human life. An ageing population will affect everything from economies, labor markets to health and social care. This prospect requires a better understanding of the implications and possibilities posed by population ageing as well as the situation of older persons themselves. While the older population is growing at an accelerated speed, many gaps in ageing related statistics and data exist, affecting the ability to develop targeted policies and programmes that address ageing related challenges.

Recently, demand for evidence based data and statistics on older persons has been generated by the negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In order to implement a comprehensive Post-2015 Development Agenda, efforts to define a strategic framework for statistics under the socalled ‘transformative agenda for statistics’, point at integrating and broadening the scope of statistics and data collection. The agenda introduces innovations to incorporate non-traditional sources that so far have not been utilized in official statistics. These developments provide an opportunity for addressing the gaps and needs posed by ageing.

In this context, the Focal Point on Ageing is organizing an Expert Group Meeting on “Global ageing and the data revolution – the way forward in the post-2015 environment” in New York on 7-9 July 2015. The meeting aims at exploring how and which new and non-traditional data sources can support the policy and programme development on ageing issues. The outcome of the EGM seeks responds to the need for sound ageing related statistics and data as well as the needs that will arise from the targets contained in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 environment.

One week later, on 14-16 July, the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, which was established by the General Assembly in 2010, will meet to continue its consideration of existing international framework of the human rights of older persons and identify possible gaps and how best to address them, including by considering, as appropriate, the feasibility of further instruments and measures.

For more information:

Expert Group Meeting on “Global ageing and the data revolution – the way forward in the post-2015 environment” 

Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing

In December 2015, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting, as requested by the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society and endorsed by the General Assembly.

It will take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and address potential ICT gaps and areas for continued focus, as well as addressing challenges, including bridging the digital divide, and harnessing ICTs for development. In that light, UN DESA was involved in two events that took place this month at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Advancing Sustainable Information Society for All

UN DESA, in cooperation with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), organized an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on “Advancing a Sustainable Information Society for All”, on 8-9 June. The meeting brought together international experts to discuss ICT-related issues in the context of two policy milestones: the emerging post-2015 sustainable development agenda and the General Assembly’s Overall Review of the WSIS outcomes.

Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Mr. Lenni Montiel, opened and moderated the opening session. He stressed that “sustainable development goals must be informed and supported by the best available sound technologies. ICTs are already having a profound impact on the pace and scale of development.”

In the same session, the co-facilitators of the General Assembly’s overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the WSIS, H.E. Jānis Mažeiks, Permanent Representative of Latvia and H.E. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates, delivered remarks on the overall review process.

Also present in the meeting were representatives of UN agencies, including UNESCO, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNU, and representatives of civil society, the private sector and Member States — totalling more than 60 participants. The EGM discussions underlined the progress that has been made in the context of WSIS, as well as challenges.

Stocktaking Session

UN DESA also provided Secretariat support to the initial stocktaking meeting that took place on 10-11 June, in preparation for the overall review by the General Assembly. The stocktaking meeting was organized by the Co-facilitators and had two sessions.

The first session featured presentations by Switzerland and Tunisia, the two hosts of the WSIS, and briefings by UNCTAD, ITU and UNESCO on WSIS+10 reviews that have taken place to date. At this meeting, a preliminary road map for the next 6 months of the upcoming meetings and events pertaining to the review process was also presented.

In the second session, Member States had the opportunity to provide their comments and views on the proposed road map, as well as relevant inputs on the whole process.

For more information:

WSIS+10

Expert Group Meeting on “Advancing a Sustainable Information Society for All”