FORUM: “
Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights.”
International Day of Older Persons 2025. The 2025 observancce will serve as a platform for older
persons to share aspirations, advocate for their well-being, and call for the full enjoyment of their
human rights. This year’s commemoration focuses on recognizing and supporting the
transformative role that older persons play in driving action at both local and global levels, drawing
on their expertise in health equity, financial well-being, community resilience, and human rights
advocacy.
The Political Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA),
adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002, remain the cornerstone of international
efforts to promote the well-being and human rights of older persons. The Declaration articulates
the global commitment to building a society for all ages, while MIPAA translates that vision into
action through its three priority directions: older persons and development; advancing health and
well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. This year’s theme,
“Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our
Rights”, echoes these principles by highlighting the agency and contributions of older persons in
building resilient and equitable societies.
This momentum is also reflected in recent international developments. In April 2025, eighty-one
Member States in the Human Rights Council cosponsored the adoption, by consensus, of
resolution 58/13, “Open-ended intergovernmental working group for the elaboration of a legally
binding instrument on the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons.” This
landmark step was supported by many members of the national human rights institutions and nongovernmental organizations. The Working Group, once established, will contribute significantly
to “the objective of promoting, protecting and ensuring the full enjoyment of the human rights by
older persons.”
In line with MIPAA’s call to mainstream ageing into development agendas, today’s demographic
shifts demand renewed policy attention. The world’s population is not only growing older but
#OlderPersonsDay
1 October
Older Voices Driving Local and Global Action:
Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being, Our Rights
doing so at an unprecedented pace and scale. The number of people aged 60 years or over has more
than doubled, from around 541 million in 1995 to 1.2 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach 2.1
billion by 2050. This transformation is most pronounced in developing countries, which will
account for the majority of older persons within the next 30 years. Global life expectancy has
reached 73.5 years in 2025, an increase of 8.6 years since 1995. The number of persons aged 80
years or over is growing even faster and is projected to surpass the number of infants by the mid2030s.
1 These demographic shifts demonstrate that older persons represent a significant and
growing segment of society, whose equal recognition and integration into policy and legislative
planning are essential.
Considering the far-reaching implications that population ageing trends will have on the social,
economic, and environmental dimensions of development, achieving social development in an
ageing world requires policy choices that incorporate age-responsive strategies, inclusive
economic opportunities, equitable access to healthcare and social protection, and the
empowerment of older persons to participate fully in all aspects of society without discrimination,
grounded in the United Nations Principles for Older Persons.
2 Equally essential is the full
realization of the human rights for older persons, which are essential to ensure their dignity and
well-being in an ageing world.
3
In this context, the 2025 United Nations International Day of Older Persons aims to elevate the
voices of older persons as experts, advocates, and change-makers, ensuring their perspectives
remain central to policies, programmes, and legislation at the national, regional, and international
levels across all sectors.
By drawing on the insights and lived experiences of leaders from diverse
regions, the event will underscore the essential role of older persons in building resilient and
equitable societies.
Objectives:
The 2025 commemoration of #OlderPersonsDay in New York aims to:
• Raise awareness of the evolving demographic landscape and the rights of older persons
by highlighting the significant growth of the global population aged 60 and over,
particularly in developing regions. This awareness is essential to recognizing older persons
as key contributors to economic and social development and to support the design of
innovative policy solutions that respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by
rapid population ageing, ensuring that no one is left behind.
• Promote inclusive social and economic opportunities for older persons by showcasing
initiatives that enable their full participation in society. Highlighting these initiatives helps
to focus efforts on creating equitable pathways for older persons to engage in community
life, access education and employment, and benefit from sustainable social protection
systems that uphold their dignity, rights, and aspirations.
• Advance discussions on the human rights of older persons and the elimination of
discrimination by drawing on experiences from diverse regions. These reflections should
highlight how age-related discrimination may be compounded by other forms of inequality,
and emphasize the need to strengthen legal frameworks and accountability mechanisms
that protect the rights of older persons in all aspects of life.
• Encourage multi-stakeholder collaboration to foster supportive environments for
older persons, highlighting the roles of families, communities, and institutions. Such
collaboration, bringing together Governments, civil society, the private sector, and older
persons themselves, is essential to building age-inclusive societies, with a focus on
intergenerational solidarity and community-based approaches that enhance resilience and
empower older persons to lead fulfilling lives.
For further information, please contact ageing@un.org
LIVESTREAM: The
2025 United Nations International Day of Older Persons aims to elevate the voices of older persons as experts, advocates, and change-makers, ensuring their perspectives remain central to policies, programmes, and legislation at the national, regional, and international levels across all sectors. Co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Argentina, the NGO Committee on Ageing and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Related Documents:
Event Site&
Concept Note.
