On December 12, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN gave an intervention at the Seventh Session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing on “Measures to enhance the promotion and protection of the human rights and dignity of older persons.”  

In its statement, the Holy See said that, with regard to the dramatic increase in the ageing population that the world will see in upcoming decades, which will strain health care systems and social safety nets, there is a need to treat the elderly in accordance with their inalienable dignity, allow them to enhance society with their wisdom and other contributions, and not marginalize them as economic and social burdens. Whatever form the protection of their human rights takes, there must be political will to implement those political commitments and to address the root causes for why their rights are violated. Present and future generations should be helped to recognize the importance of elderly as living reminders of their roots in an age in which many struggle to find their identity. They should also be helped to see that the way we treat the elderly is the way we are ultimately treating ourselves as we age.

The statement can be found here.