Addressing the challenges and opportunities of ageing

The recently concluded Commission for Social Development adopted a resolution on the modalities for the first review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The resolution defines the procedure, format and principal activities of the first cycle of the review and appraisal of the Plan, adopted by the Second World Assembly on Ageing held in Madrid from 8 to 12 April 2002.
The Commission decided to start the first global cycle of review in 2007 at the forty-fifth session of the Commission and to conclude it in 2008 at its forty-sixth session.
It invited Member States that have not done so to establish national mechanisms for the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action at the national level and inform the Secretariat accordingly in order to facilitate international cooperation and exchange of information and good practices.
The Commission encouraged Member States to include both ageing-specific policies and ageing-mainstreaming efforts in their review and appraisal of the Madrid Plan of Action, bearing in mind the importance of mainstreaming ageing into global agendas.
Adopting the resolution, the Commission also requested regional commissions to identify appropriate modalities for conducting the regional review, encouraged the convening of regional review and invited interested Governments to offer support and assistance to support national action in this context.
The Commission recommended that the concluding event of the first cycle of review include, along with plenary debate, a series of panel discussions and events related to the theme; “Addressing the challenges and opportunities of ageing”.
In this context, mindful that inadequate dialogue is taking place on local and national concerns and experiences, ESCAP, with the generous support of the Government of Macao, China, will organize a high-level regional review meeting in 2007 to bring governments, non-governmental organizations and other civil society members and individuals to deliberate on their ageing concerns.