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.
* *** *
"When the doors of equal opportunity are open for women and girls, everyone wins. Equal societies are more prosperous and peaceful – and the foundation of sustainable development." — António Guterres
Panama signed 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 4 March 2025.
The Zero Project Conference 2025, hosted at the United Nations in Vienna for the thirteenth time, will highlight cutting-edge innovations in employment and information and communication technology (ICT) for people with disabilities.
"Humanity's future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war." — António Guterres
