For the 25th United Nations International Day of Older
Persons
Thursday 1 October 2015
Re-think our cities – UN expert calls for older persons’
accessibility to all urban settings
GENEVA (29 September 2015) – Speaking ahead of the
celebration of the 25th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons*,
the United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by
older persons, Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, urges States to improve older persons’
accessibility to urban infrastructure, facilities and services.
“We need to re-think our cities. Over 900 million older
persons will be living in cities across the world by 2050, but our cities are
not fit for this global demographic revolution.
The existing barriers in public spaces and buildings, as
well as the lack of safe, affordable, accessible and barrier-free housing and
transportation obstruct older persons from fully enjoying their rights and from
living in dignity and safety in their communities.
Urban spaces and design often exacerbate segregation and
the exclusion of older persons. This becomes increasingly visible during
recovery after disasters and emergency situations in the face of climate
change. But in this regard, I am encouraged by the recent adoption of the new
2030 Sustainable Development Goals and hope that States will actually do what
they agreed to.
Innovative housing, innovative transportation and
innovative buildings programmes that make our cities accessible to all are
urgently needed. Urban spaces have to be resilient and accessible to older
persons, if we want to build inclusive, dynamic, resilient and sustainable
cities and communities.
For cities and environments to be age-friendly, the
effective implementation of comprehensive and inter-sectorial policies and
planning is required. Regulatory procedures, building codes and mortgage
regulations need to take into account the concerns of older persons and reflect
their diversity.
The Third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban
Development (Habitat III), which will take place in 2016, will be an important
occasion for States and other parties to renew their commitments to protect and
promote the rights of older persons in urban related context. And I strongly
urge all States to include an age perspective and a human rights-based approach
into the New Urban Agenda as a matter of priority.
Urban spaces have to be resilient and accessible to older
persons, if we want to build inclusive, dynamic, resilient and sustainable cities
and communities. For that, we need to re-think our cities now.”
(*) On 14 December 1990, the UN General Assembly
designated 1 October the International Day of Older Persons. Every year, a
theme is selected and many events are organized at the UN headquarters in
Geneva and New York to give visibility to the situation of older persons. This
year’s theme is: “Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban
Environment”.
ENDS
Ms. Rosa Kornfeld-Matte (Chile) was appointed by the
Human Rights Council as the first Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all
human rights by older persons in May 2014. Ms. Kornfeld-Matte served as the
National Director of the Chilean National Service of Ageing where she designed
and implemented the National Policy of Ageing. She has a long career as an
academic and is the founder of the programme for older persons at the
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Learn more, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/OlderPersons/IE/Pages/IEOlderPersons.aspx
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not
UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Human rights of older persons:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/OlderPersons/Pages/OlderPersonsIndex.aspx
For further information and media requests, please
contact Mr. Khaled Hassine (+41 22 917 93 67 / khassine@ohchr.org) or write to
olderpersons@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent
experts:
Xabier Celaya – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 /xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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