ESO (European Senior Organisation) – PES Seniors welcomes the UNECE initiative to consult civil society regarding its “zero draft” proposal to revise the Regional Implementation Strategy (RIS) for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) within the UNECE region.
ESO PES Seniors is the European network of older persons’ organizations rooted in the broad social-democratic movement; we view the values and principles of democratic socialism as the foundation for our social engagement. Our membership comprises organizations from 11 European countries.
As a member of AGE Platform Europe, ESO fully supports the recommendations submitted by the AGE Platform. These
recommendations are grounded in a human rights-based approach to ageing, the fostering of intergenerational solidarity, and a strategy based on age-equality across all generations.
ESO wishes to make three overarching observations regarding the strategy:
1.A key prerequisite for the success of policy strategies is broad societal support; consequently, the involvement of relevant civil society organizations is essential to achieving the intended objectives. ESO is considering civil society — of which we are a part— as a vital link between citizens and politics. Our member organizations are active in society by numerous local branches and initiatives, reaching citizens in their daily lives.
In this context, civil society and its organizations must been recognised as essential partners in the process.
We look forward to UNECE’s response to our contribution and these made by civil society organizations, as well as to collaborating with the policymakers from member states who are responsible for approving and implementing the process. It would be beneficial to strengthen this condition of participatory democracy—based on engagement and cooperation with representative civil society organizations—across the various stages of the process, by the conception, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
We also advocate for the recognition and funding of representative civil society organizations that align with the principles upheld by the United Nations and endorse fundamental rights.
2.ESO also highlights the importance of the final chapter (chapter 7) of the draft RIS: implementation and follow-up. A regional implementation strategy hinges on cooperation between cooperation between politics and civil society, but also between the various levels of governance, ranging from local, regional, and national authorities to European or global institutions and authorities, ESO advocates for better coordination across governance levels – between local and regional entities and the national level and international level, as well as for seeking greater synergy between the projects and strategies of international institutions. For instance, the WHO’s Age-friendly Cities and Communities programme could serve as a valuable tool for implementing programmes within the framework of the RIS.
In addition, there is also need for improved monitoring of policy outcomes. This can be achieved through better data collection and regular reporting by Member States and their regions. To this end, we advocate for the establishment of regional or national contact points—such as a network of regional or national commissioners for the rights of older persons or ombudsman services— which can facilitate follow-up on the strategy’s implementation and where aƯected citizens can turn for assistance regarding issues of access to their rights.
3. Adopting a rights-based approach to ageing and older persons, special attention must be paid to the challenges posed by digitalization; for many older persons—and indeed others—digitalisation constitutes a significant barrier to accessing services to which they are entitled, such as financial services, social allowances and benefits, and a wide range of other services. In this context, ESO advocates for a legally guaranteed right to face-to-face service provisions and calls for a requirement that all service providers should guarantee face-to-face points of contact.
You will find our contribution in the section “publications”.