By Resolution 45/016 of December 14, 1990, the UN General Assembly decided to celebrate the International Day of Older Persons (IDOL) on October 1 of each year. The first edition took place in 1991. This resolution responded to the international community's growing concern about aging, the first global manifestations of which had been reflected nearly a decade earlier in the first World Summit on Aging, held from July 26 to August 6, 1982, in Vienna, Austria. The UN's desire to see States take aging-related concerns into account in their policies and programs in order to provide adequate responses to the specific problems and expectations of older persons subsequently materialized in a series of measures and meetings, including:
- the adoption by the UN General Assembly of Resolution 46/91 of December 16, 1991, setting out the five guiding principles for the advancement of older persons;
- the adoption by the UN General Assembly of Resolution 47/5 of October 16, 1992, proclaiming 1999 the "International Year of Older Persons" under the generic theme of "A Society for All Ages";
- the adoption by the General Assembly of Resolution 55/2 in 2000, inviting Member States to a new partnership for the reduction of extreme poverty through the development of a calendar of actions to be implemented by 2015, under the name of "Millennium Development Goals" (MDGs);
- the holding of the Second World Summit on Ageing in Madrid, Spain, from April 8 to 12, 2002, resulting in the Madrid International Political Declaration and Plan of Action on Ageing;
- the adoption by the African Union of the Strategic Orientation Framework and Continental Plan of Action on Ageing at the Summit of African Heads of State and Government in June 2002 in Durban, South Africa.
General Objective
To raise national awareness of the issue of aging and strengthening the autonomy of older people, with a view to optimizing their opportunities for well-being throughout their lives and ensuring their full contribution to the national development effort.
Specific Objectives
- Promote active and healthy aging;
- Improve older people's access to basic social services and socio-economic infrastructure;
- Value and promote the knowledge, experience, know-how, and interpersonal skills of older people as key elements of sustainable social development;
- Mobilize older people themselves to ensure their full participation in the socio-economic development of our country;
- Raise awareness among all partners of the importance of including the concerns of older people in all development programs and projects;
- Popularize existing strategic guidance documents on aging at the international, pan-African, and national levels; - Raise awareness among young people and the community about changing attitudes toward older people and respecting their rights;
- Encourage initiatives aimed at promoting mutual and fruitful exchanges between generations, solidarity, complementarity, and intergenerational harmony;
- Provide multifaceted, timely, and sustainable support to older people and their support structures as part of their empowerment and career transition;
- Raise awareness within the national community about the foundations of building an inclusive society for all ages.
Strategies
- Behavior Change Communication (BCC);
- Advocacy and lobbying for the realization of the rights of older people;
- Capacity building;
- Mobilization of public-private, bilateral, and multilateral partnerships.
Activities
- Preparatory meetings;
- Radio and television broadcasts on the theme and subthemes of the day; - Roundtable discussions;
- Intergenerational walk;
- Visits to senior care facilities;
- Donations to seniors and their support facilities;
- Prizes awarded to winners of organized competitions;
- Production of a documentary on seniors;
- Organization of intergenerational meetings as part of the University of the Seniors;
- Free screening for aging-related pathologies;
- JIPA celebration ceremony;
Partners
Public and parapublic administrations:
MINATD, MINADER, MINAC, MINCOMMERCE, MINCOM, MINSANTE, MINDEF, MINDCAF, MINEE, MINEPAT, MINEDUB, MINEPIA, MINEFOP, MINESEC, MINESUP, MINEPDED, MINFI, MINHDU, MINJEC, MINJUSTICE, MINPMEESA, MINPOSTEL MINPROFF, MINRESI, MINREX, MINSANTE, MINSEP, MINTOURL, MINT, MINTSS, MINTP, DGSN, CNPS, SNH, ONACAM, SNI, CAMTEL, SOPECAM, CND