Press release
Minister for Older People addresses UNECE Conference on Ageing following publication of a national report
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Today, the Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, is participating in the 5th United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Ministerial Conference on Ageing taking place in Rome today. A national report prepared by the Department of Health highlights the progress made in Ireland during the period from 2017 to 2021 on addressing the three main goals of the Lisbon Declaration, which were agreed at the 4th Ministerial Conference on Ageing, held in Lisbon in 2017:
The title of today's conference is 'A sustainable world for all ages: joining forces for solidarity and equal opportunities throughout life'. Minister Butler will address this theme today through the lens of mainstreaming ageing to advance a society for all ages. Ireland is demonstrating this through recent innovations such the Age Friendly Houses, Age-Friendly Programme, and Sláintecare.
Minister Butler said:
"I am delighted to attend the UNECE conference on Ageing today in Rome. This is an important opportunity to engage with Ministerial colleagues from across Europe on ageing population, climate change and development of sustainable communities.
"Ireland’s current Programme for Government has a vision of creating an Age Friendly Ireland. We are fully committed to mainstreaming ageing and our ultimate objective to make Ireland a great place to grow old."
A statement will be adopted during the conference by all Ministers from the UNECE region outlining the goals for the next cycle (2022-2026) of the MIPPA. The statement reinforces the current challenges faced by an ageing population such as COVID-19, conflict and climate change.
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) was adopted in 2002 by the Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid. Countries around the world undertook concerted efforts in securing a friendlier and more sustainable environment for rapidly ageing populations. The Madrid Plan sets out commitments at national and regional levels to guide those efforts. Member states, including Ireland, declared their support for these commitments, actively aligning policies with them.
The Madrid Plan states that: ‘Systematic review of implementation of MIPAA by member states is essential for its success in improving the quality of life of older persons’. Global review and appraisal of MIPAA is carried out every five years. It is a platform to exchange gained knowledge and build cooperation networks between countries. The fourth cycle of the implementation of the Plan and its Regional Implementation Strategy (MIPAA/RIS) process concludes in 2021. Each UNECE Member State was asked to prepare a 2017-2021 national report. The national reports feeds into a regional report to be presented at the 5th UNECE Ministerial Conference on Ageing to be held in Rome on the 16 and 17 June 2022 and will inform the Ministerial Declaration issuing from the conference. The Declaration, in turn, will form a signpost for future initiatives.
The Conference completes the fourth review and appraisal cycle (2017-2021) and marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and its Regional Implementation Strategy (MIPAA/RIS).