Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Standing Working Group on Aging of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe was Held
The fourteenth annual meeting of the Standing Working Group on Aging of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe took place on 22-23 November 2021 in Geneva with hybrid sessions.
The Aged Welfare Department, representing the General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and Elderly Services, participated as the national focal point in the "Annual meeting of the Standing Working Group" held on 22-23 November 2021, and then in the Policy Seminar on "Aging in the Digital Age" held on November 24, 2021.
This Year's Theme of the Standing Working Group on Aging was “Joining Forces for Lifetime Solidarity and Equal Opportunity”.
As every year, this year, too, at the Annual Meeting of the Standing Working Group on Aging, the achievements and developments of the past year were reviewed and the working agenda of the next year was determined. The Standing Working Group proposed possible topics for policy seminars in 2022 and 2023. These topics are “examining the synergy between the work of the MIPAA and the Open Ended Working Group on Aging, particularly the issue of economic security; the safety of the elderly; monitoring the condition of the elderly; diversity dimensions of older individuals; Global and regional commitments to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and not leave the elderly behind. The 28. Policy Brief topic was chosen as “Joining Forces for Lifelong Solidarity and Equal Opportunities”.
National Aging Country Reports Experiences Transferred.
Within the scope of the fourth cycle of the review and evaluation of the Madrid International Aging Action Plan/Regional Implementation Strategy (MIPAA/RIS), brief information was given about the country reports of the Member States, which include our country and submitted the National Aging Country Report to the Commission, by Georgia and Serbia (Red Cross). Country experiences during the preparation process of the country report were conveyed. The Secretariat submitted an annotated draft for the 2022 Synthesis Report to be prepared by the Secretariat on the implementation of MIPAA/RIS in the European Economic Commission region for its fourth five-year cycle (2017-2021).
In addition, the preliminary draft of the MIPAA+20 Report, which is envisaged as a background document for the 2022 Ministerial Conference to be hosted by Italy, one of the Standing Working Group Members, was shared with the participants for comments and discussions. Within the scope of the meeting activities, preparations were made for the 2022 Regional Ministerial Conference with the theme "A Sustainable World for All Ages: Joining Forces for Lifelong Solidarity and Equal Opportunities". Within the scope of the group work held in two separate sessions, Family and Social Services Expert Burcu AYHAN EKENCI contributed to the general discussion held on the draft text of the Ministerial Declaration with Member States by presenting her views on the format and preliminary agenda of the Ministerial Conference.
In the policy seminar titled "Aging in the Digital Age" held on 24.11.2021, the adaptation of elderly individuals to the digital transformation process, the problems that can be done in this area and examples of good practices were shared. Consultations were held on the preparation of educational content and programs in order to take measures as soon as possible so that the digitalization process does not put the elderly individuals in an even more disadvantageous position, and to increase digital literacy in elderly individuals. The German state representative presented their work and good practice examples in the field of aging and digitalization in the elderly.
International representatives such as the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, and the International Telecommunication Union informed the Standing Working Group about the latest initiatives and projects in the field of aging. The representative of the International Telecommunication Union gave information about the free training titled "ICTs for Better Aging and Livelihood in Digital Environment", which they offer online. The training, which can be accessed from the link https://academy.itu.int/training-courses/full-catalogue/icts-better-ageing-and-livelihood-digital-landscape between October 1 and December 31, 2021 is free of charge and is available in English for public access.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, elderly individuals from the fragile and dependent situation; the video titled “Ageing in a digital world – from vulnerable to valuable”, which emphasizes the role of digital technologies in becoming a valuable individual who contributes to himself and the society, can be found at the link below: