Global Action on Aging Highlights




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2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 - 1992

HIGHLIGHTS 2007

UNITED NATIONS
Organized the “UN Roundtable on Disappearing Pensions in Rich Countries” that examined the effects on older persons when public and private employers reduce or abandon pension programs. Speakers included representatives from UN Member States, trade unions, think tanks and academia. GAA also participated in side events on the 5 year follow-up on the Madrid Plan of Action on Aging.
UN Commission for Social Development, February

PROJECTS
Organized a meeting with the German Parliamentary State Secretary, the German Commissioner for Disability and aging and disability organizations. The meeting aimed at mobilizing support among aging and disability groups to press for ratification of the UN Convention on for Persons with Disabilities. Co-organized a high-level luncheon, “The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities-Creating Momentum for Implementation.”
Signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, March

MEDIA
Published major ‘big issue’ article in 2007 Social Watch Report examining how the UN’s Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing lays the basis for social protection in poor countries. Susanne Paul and Alischa Kugel produced the article.

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted interns from Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Kyrgyzstan and the US. Interns research and post over fifty articles per week in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Also, GAA coordinated the efforts of older volunteers who did research, language assistance, technical help and evaluated our website.

WEBSITE
Re-designed the Arabic language section to make it more user friendly. GAA’s website averages 1.3 million hits per month and attracts readers from 145 countries.

HIGHLIGHTS 2006

UNITED NATIONS
Organized the “UN Roundtable on Older Persons in the 2004 Tsunami” that examined how relief agencies responded to the needs of older persons in Tsunami-affected countries. Government delegates, high level officials from UNICEF, OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Activities), the UN Asia Pacific Regional Commission, HelpAge International and a local Sri Lankan non-governmental organization analyzed the disaster. Panelists gave concrete suggestions for improving rescue and recovery efforts of older persons. They also provided insights on how to advance these ideas within the UN. UN Commission for Social Development, February

PROJECTS
Led efforts to secure data disaggregation by age and sex in UN social statistics. Such data will reveal how social policies affect older women and men. Also, GAA documented how social pensions are improving the lives of older persons in many parts of the world. UN Statistical Commission, March

MEDIA
The New York State United Teachers’ newspaper interviewed GAA about threats to public pensions (January). InterPress Service reported on the “UN Roundtable” (February) and a United Methodist News Service story described GAA’s activities in support of social pensions in poor countries (March) and GAA’s website and UN work (June). GAA gave background interviews to Radio Free Europe on pensions in Turkmenistan (February), to the Dubuque, Iowa Telegraph on US retirement programs (June), and the Cleveland Plain Dealer on global pensions (July).

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted interns from Belarus, Bolivia, China, France, Japan, Morocco, Dominican Republic and the US. Interns research and post over fifty articles per week in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Also, GAA coordinated the efforts of older volunteers who did research, language assistance, technical help and evaluated our website.

WEBSITE
Re-designed the GAA website to allow “quick access” to documents. Created new sections devoted to social pensions, data disaggregation and the impact of the 2004 Tsunami on older persons. GAA’s website averages 1.1 million hits per month.

HIGHLIGHTS 2005

STATEMENTS
Presented Statement on human rights of Elderly Indigenous Persons during the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues held at the United Nations in May. Cooperated with HelpAge International by offering comments on needs of older persons at the Africa Commission meeting in June.

UNITED NATIONS
Organized a Side Event Panel on Mainstreaming Older Persons into the Development Agenda during the UN Commission on Social Development in February. UN Secretariat staff, government representatives and NGO leaders participated. Resourced the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's) with a Checklist for Older Persons in IDP camps.

BRIEFINGS
Provided research to the Expert Panel of the Commission for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on the material situation of older women in developed, developing and transitional economies. Suggested questions to pose to Country Representatives during 2005 sessions about older women's poverty.

SEMINARS
Held two training seminars for trade union retirees. Speakers described European social insurance programs, advocacy strategies around threatened privatization of US Social Security and the United Nations and its aging programs.

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted 16 resident interns from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Moldova, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, and the USA. In addition, 6 "virtual" interns from Argentina, China, Egypt, Haiti, Taiwan, Ukraine and the USA resourced the website. Interns research and post over forty articles per week in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Also, GAA coordinated the efforts of seven older volunteers who did research, development, language assistance, technical help, and evaluated our website.

WEBSITE
In March, GAA launched its new web-section "Aging Watch at the United Nations." The site offers information on how the UN system develops, considers and implements aging work. In April, GAA's website (www.globalaging.org) for the first time attracted over one million hits in one month and repeated this success in three other month. Adding Arabic to its language sections in May, GAA now posts articles in all six official UN languages attracting more readers from non-English speaking countries.

HIGHLIGHTS 2004

STATEMENT
Presented a Statement on "Protection of Older Persons in Armed Conflict in the Least Developed Countries" to the High Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council substantive session of 2004. The UN Secretariat invited GAA to develop this paper due to its work on older persons and armed conflict.

UNITED NATIONS
Organized a large panel on "Older Persons and Armed Conflict" during the February Commission on Social Development in partnership with Help Age International. In May, GAA hosted a "speak out" on armed conflict and older indigenous persons during the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Gave media interviews on emerging issues in aging. Topics included age discrimination on the job, specialized retirement communities as well as specific issues facing racial/ethnic/language minorities and same sex couples. Spoke several times on New York metro area radio shows about funding retirement.

SEMINARS
Held ten training seminars for older people's groups from trade union, academic and religious organizations. They heard speakers discuss European social pensions, Japanese technology to help frail elderly, US Social Security, and more.

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted eight resident interns from France, Georgia, Jamaica, Japan, Ukraine, Venezuela and the US. Also hosted "virtual" interns from Azerbaijan, China and the USA. Interns researched and posted over fifty articles per week in English, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.

WEBSITE
Attracting over eight million hits during 2004, the website (www.globalaging.org) continues to grow with an increasing proportion of readers from non-English speaking countries. With articles in five languages, GAA has added Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Russian Federation to its top 20 countries visiting our site each week.

HIGHLIGHTS 2003

STATEMENTS
Prepared a research paper on "Protection of Civilians: Older Persons in Armed Conflict" for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. GAA, along with its partners, will press for a UN Security Council Resolution in 2004 to Protect Older Persons.

UNITED NATIONS
The UN Economic and Social Council approved Global Action on Aging for "special consultative status," giving GAA the right to speak to the Council during sessions. Our organization also participates in the NGO Committee on Ageing at the UN.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Gave media interviews on Social Security and Women to MORE Magazine (Oct. 14), on Poverty among Older Americans to Dutch RTL television (Nov. 17), on Older Persons who want paid work to UM Communications (Oct. 27), on older ethnic persons seeking retirement facilities to the Arizona Republic (Nov. 11) and on elder rights to a television documentary producer (Oct. 2).

SEMINARS
Held six training seminars for older people's groups from trade unions, retiree and religious organizations, devoted to critical emerging issues facing older persons, including income support, health access, elder rights, and protection of older persons in situations of armed conflict.

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted eight resident interns from Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, France, Ukraine, and USA to research and post over 60 articles weekly to our website. Interns monitor major UN meetings, confer with Secretariat staff and present our work in public arenas.

WEBSITE
Attracting eight million hits this year, the website (www.globalaging.org) doubled its 2002 level. France, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Netherlands, and Germany are the top countries using the website outside the US. Tripling its subscribers over 2002, our weekly email newsletter went out to over 45 countries and reached UN staff, diplomats, professionals in the aging field and many older persons.

HIGHLIGHTS 2002

UN'S SECOND WORLD ASSEMBLY ON AGEING
AND
NGO FORUM ON AGEING
April 4-12, 2002, in Madrid, Spain

Organized two large NGO Forum sessions on "New Approaches to Old Poverty," and "Social Initiatives of Older Women in Developing Countries." Assisted partner organizations with panels on volunteerism, spiritual dimensions of aging, housing of abandoned elderly, art and the elderly, and an NGO "lessons learned" session.

Partners included: Older Women's League, Gray Panthers, Burden Center on Aging, Peace Action, World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women, United Methodist Church (USA), Franciscans International, Negro Business and Professional Women, LINKS, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, the Ladies Charitable Society, and the Loretto Community.

IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
Began developing educational resources, using UN and website information, for community and organization Seminars on the International Plan of Action. Materials will guide activists to implement the Plan of Action at the local level.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS
BBC News interviewed Susanne Paul for a global wrap-up of pension program financing for a five-part series. October 24 Bloomberg News interviewed GAA for its views on private pensions, including 401(k) plans, following the Enron and Tyco scandals, June 11 UN NewsWire quoted GAA on aging in developing countries, April 6

SEMINARS
Held seven training seminars for retiree groups, both trade unionists and religious organizations that examined critical emerging issues facing older persons

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted ten resident and one off-site intern from Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, United States, and Uzbekistan who pursued internet research and posted articles on the Global Action website.

WEBSITE
Increased from 35,000 hits per week in January to over 110,000 hits in early December. Top ten countries visiting the site are the United States, France, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Brazil and Argentina.

HIGHLIGHTS 2001

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Organized a major meeting on public pensions and health care with the International Labor Organization for the NGO Committee on Aging.

MONITORING
Listened for inclusion of older women as victims of gender discrimination in country reports presented to the UN's Commission on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Unfortunately, we found that no country addressed such discrimination --even though Global Action on Aging tracks such abuses worldwide.

STATEMENTS
Prepared a document on older women's human rights worldwide. Wrote a statement on "Older Women and Poverty Eradication" that the NGO Committee on the Status of Women will use in its work at the United Nations.

SEMINARS
Held six training seminars for older people's groups, from trade union, retiree and religious organizations, devoted to critical emerging issues facing older persons.

INTERNSHIPS
Hosted twelve resident and two off-site interns from Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Japan, USA and Venezuela to research and post articles on our website.

WEBSITE
Built our website by adding 550 new pages. Site traffic increased dramatically to a rate of one million hits per year!

EVENTS
Welcomed fifty participants from a dozen countries who joined us on the International Day of Older Persons to hear Dr. Odile Frank of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Ambassador Bagher Asadi, Chairman of the Group of 77 to discuss "Prospects for the World Assembly on Ageing."

HIGHLIGHTS 2000 - 1992

2000
Key planner of the NGO Forum at the UN's World Assembly on Ageing, held in Madrid, Spain in 2002.
Host of the www.globalaging.org website that attracted about 150,000 hits during 2000.

1999
Organizer of the UN Working Group on Social Protection, including NGO's from women, labor, aging and the foundation community.
Organized the the National Satellite Teleconference on "A Society for All Ages," that reached 135 downlink sites in 37 US states.

1997-1998
Initiated the Official Preparatory Event for the UN's International Year of Older Persons, Nashville, Texas. Produced the Declaration of Older Women's Rights, drawn up by 120 women from 65 different organizations from every continent. Three years later, many public and civic organizations across the globe adopted the Declaration, available in five major languages.
Convener of the Annual Global Older Women's Roundtable for delegates and NGO's from developing countries during the UN's Commission on the Status of Women.

1996
Created and moderated the Global Older Women's Network via an electronic newsletter to about 650 aging advocacy leaders in every region of the world.

1995
Global Action on Aging organized a Special Panel about Threats to the Economic Security of Older Persons for delegates at the 1995 Wold Summit on Social Development, in Copenhagen, Denamark. Global Action on Aging's President Susanne Paul also addressed the Plenary Session of the UN Conference on Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1994
Global Action on Aging's President Susanne Paul spoke to the Plenary Sessions of the UN Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt.
Global Action on Aging's book, Humanity Comes of Age, 1994, sold 40,000 copies in four printings.

1992
Global Action on Aging's President Susanne Paul addressed the UN General Assembly on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the 1982 World Plan of Action on Aging.