The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Older Persons(IDOP) is annually observed across the globe on October 1st to create awareness about the challenges and issues faced by the elderlies across the globe.
The Theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2021 is “Digital Equity for All Ages”.
1st October 2021 marks the observance of the 31st anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons(IDOP).
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/45/106 on 14th December 1990 and proclaimed the October 1st of every year as the International Day of Older Persons.
ii.The first ever International Day of Older Persons was observed on 1st October 1991.
Trends in population ageing:
i.According to the World Population Prospects: the 2019 Revision, by 2050, globally 1 in 6 people will be over the age of 60(16%) and 1 in 4 persons in Europe and Northern America will be aged 65 or above.
ii.The population of people aged above 80 years or more is expected to triple i.e. from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050.
Additional info:
The number of older people across the globe is expected to reach more than 1.5 billion in 2050 and 80% of these people will be in low and middle-income countries.
United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021 – 2030:
The UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/75/131 on 14th December 2020 and proclaimed the decade 2021 to 2030 as the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing to unite the governments, civil societies, international agencies, media, and others to improve the lives of older people and the community they live in.
IDOP 2021 in India:
On the occasion of the IDOP 2021, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India organised VAYO NAMAN Programme, to honour the Senior Citizens, at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
- Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President(VP) of India, presided over the programme and presented the Vayoshreshtha Samman award 2021(National Award for Senior Citizens).
Highlights of the events:
i.He launched the Elder Line 14567, a toll-free helpline open 12 Hours a day to provide information, guidance, emotional support, field intervention in cases of abuse & rescues in order to improve the quality of life of senior citizens.
Tata Trusts and NSE Foundation are the technical partners supporting the Ministry to operationalize the Elder line.
- The Elder line is set up by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with the National Institute of Social Defence(NISD) and State governments.
- At present the helpline is hosted by the National Implementing Agency, an empowered committee, set up by the Social justice ministry along with NISD.
ii.He also launched the Senior Able Citizens Reemployment in Dignity (SACRED) and Senior Care Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE) Portals.
