International Day of the Elderly
The International Day of Older Persons (International Day of Older Persons) is celebrated by decision of the UN General Assembly annually since October 1, 1991.
The purpose of this day is to attract public attention to the problems of elderly people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are currently almost 700 million people over the age of 60 in the world. By 2050, the number of people over the age of 60 will reach two billion, accounting for more than 20% of the world's population. The problems associated with the aging of the population initially affected mainly developed countries, but now they are becoming increasingly important in developing countries. The most significant and rapid growth in the number of elderly people, according to WHO forecasts, will be observed in the developing world, with the Asian region accounting for the most significant number of elderly people, and the African region for the most significant increase in the proportion of the elderly population.
In 1982, the first World Assembly on Ageing was held in Vienna, where an International Plan of Action was adopted, which defined the approaches of the international community to the problem of ageing. In the same year, the plan was approved by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Continuing such initiatives, on December 14, 1990, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 45/106, decided to consider October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons. In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the UN Principles on Older Persons (resolution 46/91).
In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing, held in Madrid, adopted a Political Declaration and an International Plan of Action, which became a turning point in the strategy of building a society for all ages. For the first time, the problems of aging were considered by the Governments of the countries of the world comprehensively and comprehensively in the broad context of socio-economic development and ensuring human rights. During the work of the Assembly, the International Plan of Action on Ageing was revised and re-approved, which provides for new measures in the areas of employment of older people, increasing their incomes, improving medical care, education and social security. Special attention is paid to the problems of older women, who make up the majority in this age group.
The Madrid Plan of Action identifies three priority areas:
- older people and the development of society;
- strengthening the health and well-being of the elderly;
- creating a comfortable and favorable environment for their living.
The UN Commission for Social Development decided to analyze and evaluate the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action to Address the problems associated with population Aging every five years.
In Russia, the Day of the Elderly is also celebrated on October 1 on the basis of the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation of June 1, 1992.
According to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation as of December 31, 2011, the number of pensioners is 40.2 million people. About 37 million people are recipients of labor pensions, of which about 33 million people receive an old-age pension.
The average size of the labor pension as of July 1, 2012 was 9,389 rubles.
Within the framework of the Day of the Elderly, free concerts, charity performances, film screenings, and rest evenings are held.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru02.10.2012