EVENT: Join us for the inaugural celebration of International Coffee Day at FAO headquarters on Thursday, 1 October 2026, from 12.15 to 13.30 hours CEST. Inaugurated by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, the ceremony brings together Members and partners to celebrate coffee’s economic, social and cultural significance and its contribution to livelihoods and sustainable agrifood systems. It places the people, cultures, traditions and partnerships that bring coffee from farm to cup at the heart of the celebration. Watch the livestream!
COMMUNICATION MATERIALS: Get the poster, the campaign toolkit and other material assets!
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.
FORUM: "Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide". International Day of Older Persons 2024. Population ageing is a major global trend that is reshaping the demographic makeup of societies worldwide. This significant shift in population age structures results from decreases in fertility rates and increases in life expectancy. Today, life expectancy at birth exceeds 75 years in half of the world's countries or areas, 25 years longer than those born in 1950. Individuals reaching the age of 65 are now expected to live an additional 16.8 years on average. In 2018, a historic milestone was reached when the number of older persons outnumbered children under five for the first time globally. By 2030, the global population of older persons is projected to exceed the number of youth and double the number of children under five. This increase is anticipated to be most rapid in developing countries. Given this global demographic shift, the caregiving landscape is undergoing significant transformations, encompassing a wide range of needs for both paid and unpaid support, in both formal and informal settings. Recent decades have seen shifts in living arrangements for families and older persons in both developed and developing nations. Combined with overall ageing trends, this has heightened demand for different forms of care provision. Amid rising demand for long-term care, growth in the number of caregivers is not keeping pace. As of 2015, there was a global shortage of about 13.6 million formal care workers. These deficits translate to half of the older population globally not having access to quality formal long-term care. As populations age, the demand for comprehensive healthcare, care, and social support services has grown substantially. This is particularly critical for older persons with conditions such as dementia, which is a leading cause of care dependency and disability in old age worldwide. The need for specialized care has become integral to the broader healthcare demands of ageing populations. However, most caregivers, both paid and unpaid, have insufficient training to meet these complex needs. Consequently, there is an urgent worldwide need to expand training and educational opportunities in the fields of geriatrics and gerontology for health professionals, social care professionals, and informal caregivers who work with older persons. Older persons constitute a heterogeneous group with diverse health needs, requiring different levels of care and support. Traditionally, the care burden has fallen on co-residing, multigenerational extended families, thus relying on the family as an informal system of support. However, changes in family size and dynamics, population ageing, and other social and economic trends are undermining these traditional support systems. The implications for societies and individuals depend significantly on the type of care required and who provides it. Women, who comprise most care recipients and caregivers, contribute roughly 70% of global informal care hours. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries where care policies and services are insufficient, leaving women more vulnerable to experiencing poverty in old age. Family caregivers often have multiple responsibilities, leaving them overworked and at risk of providing poor-quality care. Some of the rights related to care and support are explicitly guaranteed in existing human rights treaties, for example social security and education, while others such as long-term care and support, are not, as examinations of the General Assembly Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing show. Protecting the human rights of both caregivers and recipients is fundamental to implementing effective care strategies, which must recognize and value the diverse contributions made by caregivers. These contributions range from family members offering unpaid care to professionals delivering targeted services, including palliative, rehabilitative, and long-term care. Rethinking approaches to care and support systems will benefit today’s older persons and those who care for them, as well as future generations of older persons. Care and support systems for older persons should be tailored to the needs, values, and preferences of care recipients and caregivers. They should go beyond the medical aspects of care, to adopt a life-course approach that encompasses an individual’s culture, life history, social support network, and identity, and giving recipients control over care decisions. Member States should pursue a more equitable, person-centered approach to care, safeguarding the human rights of both caregivers and their care recipients. This approach should operate across Governments, civil society, communities, and households, as well as the private sector, to address the needs in the provision of both formal and informal care. Follow the conversations with hashtags. #1October, #ForEveryAge#idop2024,#OlderPersonsDay, #HealthyAgeing.
•Emphasize the roles of national policies and legislation , family, and community in ensuring full respect for the dignity, beliefs, needs and privacy of older persons, and for the right to make decisions about their care and quality of their lives.
• Foster greater knowledge and awareness of the global shortage of care workers and the challenges in establishing comprehensive care and support systems for older persons beyond formal healthcare settings, particularly in the context of population ageing.
• Learn from caregivers’ experiences and discuss the challenges and opportunities of ageing in place versus long-term care facilities.
• Highlight innovative initiatives providing quality care and support systems for older persons, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive care and social support services, particularly for older persons with conditions such as dementia. Promote the need for specialized training and education for caregivers to address the diverse health needs of older persons, and stress the importance of geriatrics education.
• Advocate for the recognition of the diverse contributions of caregivers, from family members providing unpaid care to professionals offering specialized services, ensuring that their rights are respected. Address the challenges faced by informal caregivers, especially women, and promote policies that support them in balancing multiple responsibilities
As populations age, care and support systems are vital for older persons to continue actively engaging and enriching their communities.
Yet too often older persons do not have access to this crucial assistance, deepening inequalities and increasing their vulnerabilities. This disparity falls even heavier on women, including older women, who bear the brunt of providing unpaid care.
Recognising the rights of both those who receive care and care givers is essential for more resilient societies.
We must work to cultivate people-centered care systems that are sustainable and equitable, and they must amplify the voices of older persons by ensuring their participation in policy making.
That requires investing in the infrastructure for formal long-term care, ensuring opportunities for decent work, and enabling individuals to transition from informal to formal care.
On this International Day of Older Persons, let’s commit to strengthen care and support systems that honour the dignity of older persons and caregivers.
FORUM: “Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations.” International Day of Older Persons 2023. 75 years ago, this year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, a monumental document in the history of human rights. Written by representatives from around the world with different legal, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds, it is the first document articulating the fundamental human rights that are meant to be universally protected. In recognition of this milestone, and looking to a future that delivers on the promise to ensure that all persons, including all older persons, fully enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms. According to the outcomes of the Fourth Review and Appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), age-based discrimination in institutions, attitudes and practices continues to be rampant, highlighting deficiencies in the implementation of international and national frameworks for older persons. Systemic and structural barriers often exist for older persons in the context of work, standards of living, learning opportunities and access to services and resources because of ageist attitudes, discriminatory laws and policies, underfunding, and lack of accessibility and affordability, among others. This can lead to increased vulnerability of older persons to neglect, abuse and serious health issues. There are and have been numerous interventions designed to prevent and mitigate these threats to older persons which, while helpful, have not necessarily been based on a coherent and holistic approach to the human rights of older persons that is more broadly sustained. According to the outcomes of the Fourth Review and Appraisal of MIPAA, in the absence of human rights norms and standards, particularly to the situation of older persons at the international level, the ability to unpack the complexities and changing nature of discrimination and intersecting forms of inequality across the life course is limited. The work of the International Community around intergenerational solidarity has demonstrated, time and again, through various fora that intergenerational solutions, which are guided by the human rights principles of participation, accountability, non-discrimination and equality, empowerment and legality, can contribute to rekindle the legacy, relevance and activism of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by empowering both youth and older persons to shift the needle of political will towards fulfilling the promises of the Declaration for all people across generations. Follow the conversations with hashtags. #1October, #UNIDOP2023, #OlderPersonsDay, #HealthyAgeing.
This year’s International Day of Older Persons coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
To realize the promise of the Declaration, we must do more to protect the dignity and rights of older persons everywhere.
Challenges abound. Ageism is rampant in societies. From the COVID-19 pandemic to poverty and climate emergencies, older persons are often among the first victims of crises.
Addressing these and other issues is a human rights imperative that will benefit everyone.
Older persons are invaluable sources of knowledge and experience and have much to contribute towards peace, sustainable development, and protecting our planet.
We must ensure their active engagement, full participation, and essential contributions – including through social and workplace policies built around their specific needs.
We must promote lifelong learning, quality healthcare, and digital inclusion.
And we must foster intergenerational dialogue and unity.
Together, let us build more inclusive and age-friendly societies and a more resilient world for all.
To call on Governments and United Nations entities to review their current practices with a view to better integrate a life course approach to human rights in their work, and to ensure the active and meaningful participation of all stakeholders, including civil society, national human rights institutions and older persons themselves, in the work on strengthening solidarity among generations and intergenerational partnerships.
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