UNECE policy brief on ageing 1: mainstreaming ageing

This policy brief looks at how governments can integrate ageing-related issues into all policy fields in order to bring societies and economies in harmony with demographic change. It also addresses the ways in which all age groups can be equally involved in designing, implementing and evaluating ageing-related policies and programmes.

The paper’s main findings are as follows:

• while demographic transition is universal, its timing varies greatly both between and within world regions, as does the onset and pace of ageing
• ageing presents challenges for existing systems of social support, and affects virtually all domains of society
• to ensure that older persons can remain active and independent for as long as possible, policies supporting their social and economic integration in all spheres of society are necessary
• to achieve this complex goal, a holistic approach, whereby ageing is integrated in all policy fields, is needed
• laws, policies and programmes are important tools for achieving such holistic approach
• the institutional setting is another important tool to achieve a holistic approach to mainstreaming ageing
• a national budget reflects in monetary terms the government’s commitment tomainstreaming ageing is an indicator of and instrument for achieving a holistic approach
• national consultative bodies on ageing issues, councils, boards or commissions, should ensure that older persons are represented in decision-making
• inter-departmental or inter-agency working groups, councils or commissions, or assigned focal points on ageing could help to achieve the streamlining of policies
• advocacy campaigns may help to sensitise the public to the concerns and conditions of older persons
• the process of mainstreaming would need to be monitored and evaluated as to progress made in different areas; developing benchmarks and introducing appropriate indicators to measure the level of mainstreaming ageing are important