Human Rights
Development

  Fighting Impunity

  Environment

  Older persons

  Human Rights and Business

Accession

  Presentation

 Meeting reports

  Working documents

  Other relevant documents

External relations

Other Topics

  Death Penalty

  Armed forces,
Conscientious objection

  LGBT

  Article 52

  Human Rights in
culturally diverse societies

  Human Rights
Development (DH-DEV)

CDDH drafting Group on the Human Rights
of Older Persons
(CDDH-AGE)

Presentation

Europe is currently undergoing an enormous demographic change. Growing life-expectancy and reduced birth rates have increased both the absolute number of older persons and their relative share within society. This changing demography poses big challenges for the health care, social security and pension systems of European States. Moreover, the increasing number of older persons augments the need to address the specific challenges to their human rights that such development may bring with it.

For instance, the elderly are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence. According to a report by the World Health Organisation ("World Health Organisation, European report on preventing elder maltreatment 2011"), at least 4 million elderly people in Europe are estimated to experience ill-treatment and 2500 are estimated to die each year from such treatment. Moreover, the elderly may particularly suffer from poverty, lack adequate care or be discriminated against because of their age.

It is only recently that States and international organisations have started to look at the protection of older persons from a human rights perspective. At the European level, the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) of the Council of Europe has decided in February 2012 to create a new drafting group (CDDH-AGE) in view of elaborating, under the CDDH’s authority, a non-binding Council of Europe instrument on the promotion of the human rights of the elderly. The group held its first meeting on 21-23 March 2012 with the participation of expert representatives from other international organisations, from civil society and representatives of other Council of Europe intergovernmental Committees (for further information, see the respective meeting report below. The second meeting of the group took place on 24-26 September 2012. 

CDDH-AGE documents

2013

4th meeting of the CDDH-AGE
25-27 September 2013, Strasbourg

3rd meeting of the CDDH-AGE
15-17 May 2013, Strasbourg

Meeting report

2012

2nd meeting of the CDDH-AGE
24-26 September 2012, Strasbourg

Meeting Report

1st  meeting of the CDDH-AGE
21-23 March 2012, Strasbourg

Meeting report