African Center for Gender and Development





Experts to discuss the needs of older people in Africa Addis Ababa, 15 November 2007-- About 20 experts from nine African countries will on Monday in Addis Ababa begin a two-day review of a report on the needs of older people in Africa produced by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and titled “Aging in a society for all ages in Africa”. The five-chapter report covers Africa's changing age structure, the profile of older persons in Africa, social protection systems, health; and HIV/AIDS and older persons in Africa. The expert group meeting, co-organized by ECA, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the African Union and HelpAge International, is within the context of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging (MIPAA), which provides guidance for designing and implementing national policies on the needs of older people. The experts will review Africa's strategies for implementing the priorities of MIPAA and deliberate on how to respond to various obstacles to international programme on ageing. For Africa, considered the youngest continent in the world in terms of age structure, the meeting will also provide a platform for information sharing on the challenges posed by increasing numbers of older persons as well as country experiences in dealing with the needs of the elderly. :: Agenda :: Programme :: Concept Note :: Information Note