Remarks by the President of the UN General Assembly,
H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang,
at the High-level Meeting on Ageing
Thursday, 8 May 2025
[As Delivered]
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining today’s High-Level Meeting on Ageing.
It comes as we grapple with a profound demographic shift.
Over the coming decade, the number of persons aged 60 years or older is projected to grow to a staggering 1.6 billion people – close to 20% of the world population.
By 2030, older persons will outnumber youth. They will comprise twice the number of children under the age of five.
This transformation will touch every country, every community.
This transformation has implications for every sphere of policymaking: from human rights, and social development to economic planning.
Demands on healthcare, social protection, and economic systems will surge.
The international community must anticipate these changes and react accordingly.
Governments must adopt policies that meet the diverse needs of older persons.
As vibrant contributors to society, with equitable access to services protecting their dignity and human rights.
Comprehensive reforms across healthcare, social security, and economic structures will be necessary.
Fortunately, we are not without guidance.
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing offers a vital framework for our efforts.
However, vast inequalities remain in access to healthcare, social protections, and basic services.
We must bridge these gaps, including the growing digital gap locking older persons out from the digital society.
Your Excellencies,
Ageing is not a gender-neutral experience.
Women consistently outlive men, both in developed and developing societies .
A lifetime of unequal access to education, lower wages and mostly informal work means that older women experience higher rates of poverty than men.
They often receive lower pensions and enjoy less security in old age.
Ensuring gender equality must last a lifetime – extending throughout the life course of women.
Your Excellencies,
My dear Friends,
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, along with its Political Declaration, recognises that development, social policy, and human rights are indivisible.
And it calls on us all to create environments where older people live healthy, secure lives, enriched by full participation in their communities.
The establishment of an intergovernmental working group by the Human Rights Council to draft an international, legally binding instrument on the rights of older persons is a welcome step in this direction.
Your Excellencies,
As the great Nelson Mandela once said, and I quote: “A society that does not value its older people denies its roots and endangers its future.” End of quote.
Older persons are essential partners in shaping the future.
Older people are also important.
Each of us, if fortunate, will grow old or older than we can imagine.
And older persons’ contributions must be welcomed, respected, and actively sought.
The Protocol on the Rights of Older Persons to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights makes this point clear.
Its principles align with the vision set forth in the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations.
Both documents reaffirm the need to strengthen intergenerational solidarity, enhance international cooperation, and integrate demographic trends into sustainable development strategies.
As we prepare for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in June and the World Social Summit in November, Member States must act decisively:
First, by embedding ageing into all development frameworks.
Second, by strengthening legal protections for older persons.
And third, by promoting intergenerational unity as a cornerstone of inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable societies.
Consequently, whether young or old, let us leave no one behind.
Thank you.
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Media Contacts
Sharon Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Tel: +1 212 963 0564, M: +1 646 342 5873, Email: birchs@un.org
Dr. Mariam Shaikh, Adviser/ Social and Digital Media/Media Relations, M: +1 917 3614990, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
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