UNIS/SGSM/1351
28 September 2023
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.
* *** *
Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
Journalists are invited to cover the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) to be held from 19 to 23 May in Vienna, Austria.
"On this Day of Vesak, I extend my warmest wishes to Buddhists worldwide as they commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha." — António Guterres
"In a world plagued by conflict and division, World Press Freedom Day highlights a fundamental truth: Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press." — António Guterres
