Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons 2nd Session - EU Statement - Item 3: General Statements
Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons
2nd Session
26-30 October 2026
Item 3: General Statements
EU statement
Final
Thank you Chair,
At the outset, allow me to thank you and the other members of the core group and the Secretariat for the arrangements made for the session. The EU looks forward to continue engaging with the Working Group to address protection gaps and to enhance the respect for, protection and fulfilment of the human rights of older persons.
Mr Chair,
The EU is fully committed to and active in promoting the full enjoyment of all human rights by older persons without discrimination. This includes ensuring the meaningful participation, access, accessibility and inclusion of older persons in all spheres of life, combating ageism and age discrimination, and addressing all forms of violence, neglect and abuse, and exploitation. We support a human rights-based approach to ageing that recognizes older persons as rights-holders and active members of society. Demographic, technological and societal change calls for forward-looking safeguards, including against digital exclusion and structural barriers to participation. Social isolation and loneliness can make such barriers particularly visible.
The European Union has further built on its significant legislative and policy acquis, and concrete actions benefiting older persons and spanning multiple issues. The first Strategy for Intergenerational Fairness presented by the European Commission in March of this year serves as a long-term foundation for fair policymaking that benefits all age groups, including future generations. Since our meeting in July, a Pledge on Intergenerational Fairness was launched during the European Week of Regions and Cities earlier in October to prompt local and regional politicians to place housing, mental health, and cross-generational inclusion at the center of local governance to build a fairer future for all generations. On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, a Joint Action under the EU4Health programme was launched to improve the mental health of vulnerable populations, including older people, by supporting the transfer and roll-out of evidence-based practices across Europe. One of these practices, called Circle of Friends, addresses loneliness of older adults through the organisation of group meetings to facilitate meaningful interaction.
As the work of this IGWG continues, we look forward to the discussions this week, and our Member States will contribute to the various sessions. We will also welcome broad, meaningful participation by civil society organisations, representatives of older persons, including older persons with disabilities and those facing intersecting vulnerabilities, and older persons from all regions. We value the opportunity to consider the experience, inputs and lived realities of older persons. We are also grateful for the inputs we have received from stakeholders from around the world that will feed our thinking going forward. We also encourage the active contribution of national human rights institutions and focussed exchanges on possible future normative elements, building on the work of the OEWGA, Independent Experts and OHCHR.
At the same time, allow us to recall our plea for the early circulation of preparatory material, here notably the guiding questions. As a Union, we need time to consult in order to be able to prepare inputs. Our Member States, as mentioned before, require time for thorough preparation including inter-Ministerial and other coordination as well as the consultation of national and regional stakeholders, including local governments and social partners. Such arrangements are not only of the essence in these times of extremely scarce resources for UN human rights deliberations but also in view of the expectation of stakeholders that our proceedings yield tangible progress in addressing the needs of older persons and realizing their human rights. By the end of this session, greater clarity on an indicative timetable, opportunities for written inputs and practical steps for intersessional work would help ensure inclusive and well-prepared contributions.
Having said that, we emphasize once again that the development of standards relating to the rights of older persons must be fully aligned with and build on international human rights law, including the CRPD to which the European Union is an early party to alongside its Member States, as well as relevant regional instruments. In this context, we strongly reaffirm the need that any future legally binding instrument does not regress from existing standards that already provide protection for the human rights of all persons, among whom are older persons. Any future instrument on HROP must embody and adhere to the principles of universality, indivisibility, interdependence and inter-relatedness of human rights. Firmly rooted in the UDHR, the principle of universality asserts that rights apply to everyone globally, regardless of culture, geography, or status. Moreover, international human rights law is founded on the principle that every person possesses inherent dignity and equal rights; therefore older persons must be recognised as individual rights holders and States as duty bearers. - These and other principles - we refer to our contribution in session 4 in July available on the IGWG’s website - should be fully reflected in the preamble of a future instrument and permeate the whole text.
We would also recommend that we give priority focus on the issues that have since long been discussed in our deliberations and raised by older persons’ representatives, notably prevention of and protection from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of older persons, whether occurring in family, community, institutional or digital settings; access to justice, effective remedies and support services; non-discrimination, equality and autonomy; ageism, age-based stereotypes and prejudice, and age-based discrimination with special attention on multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination; protection of those who are in disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised situations as well as meaningful participation.
In closing, Chair, we wish you much success in steering our work once again this week. It is crucial to continue to uphold and advance older persons’ full enjoyment of human rights and to promote intergenerational fairness.
Thank you!