Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly
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13th Session of the Open-Ended Working Group of Ageing
3 April 2023
(As delivered)
Thank you very much Madame President. Please accept my congratulations on the occasion of your election to this very important position.
Madame Minister,
My good friend USG Lee,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you very much indeed for this opportunity to be with you this morning and at least partly participating in your discussions.
“Ageing is just another word for living”.
Thanks to medical and technological advances, we can reach an age older than ever before in human history.
Yet, regardless of how many years we have been here, we all deserve to live in health, respect and dignity.
With the life span stretching and the number of older persons rising, our world is visibly ageing and visibly changing.
By 2030, it is projected that the population over 60 will be double the number of children under the age of 5.
This demands our society to tackle new challenges.
For the elderly, these are not abstract issues or theoretical concepts, these are daily realities.
It is very telling how societies deal with their ageing members.
It’s not only a matter of cultural and historic heritage.
It is a powerful indicator about the cohesion of the given community.
Not necessarily about the level of their material affluence, but certainly about the trust and stability of the society.
Economic and social barriers make many older people more exposed to poverty, diseases or ill-treatment – as we have just heard from the President.
They are often affected first and worst.
Many widows, in particular, continue to face the loss of property rights, discrimination and harmful traditional practices in many countries.
Health-related expenses push over 100 million people into extreme poverty every year.
Data shows that many of the oldest among us, those who desperately need this access, cannot afford to be healthy.
This is an injustice that is massively exacerbated in times of conflicts or human rights crises.
If we have learnt anything from the pandemic, it is that the health of any of us affects the health of all of us.
And excluding anybody endangers everybody.
The right to health and access to health services applies to everyone and is an urgent priority for older populations.
Three health-related processes are currently ongoing in the General Assembly.
They can make these rights truly inclusive of us all.
In a world that is growing more digitally connected by the day, we must ensure older persons are not marginalised.
They possess skills, experience and wisdom which make them pillars of our communities.
We should make certain they have the tools to overcome feelings of isolation and depression.
It is not only a moral obligation; it is also in our best interest to utilise the vast knowledge possessed by them.
An ancient African proverb captures this sentiment: “those who respect the elderly pave the road towards success”.
The 2030 Agenda calls for additional measures to ensure no one is left behind on the road to achieving the SDGs.
Member States can proactively enable older people to advocate for their needs.
In various ways, Member States should consult with the elderly on the issues that affect them, give them the resources to promote their equity, and encourage their participation.
We cannot forget that the youth of today are the elders of tomorrow – and I am so happy to see so many young colleagues in the audience.
Our discussions on future generations should account for the challenges faced by the old.
The SDG Summit in September will be the occasion to renew our commitment to combatting ageism and poverty affecting elderly populations.
Dear Friends, Excellencies,
Fulfilling the mandate of this Working Group is critical to meet this goal.
Let me thank you for your efforts to guarantee that older persons are always included when we say “human rights for all”.
Together, we can turn this ideal into a reality.
Thank you very much.
