Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights.

 

The 2025 United Nations International Day of Older Persons 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 OurRights”, 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 

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.