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Programs

Elder Rights
This Program advocates for the protection of older persons as a key element of the human rights movement. Increasingly subject to physical and emotional abuse, theft and negative stereotyping and discrimination, older persons often feel vulnerable and frightened. Older people often face serious discrimination in the workplace. While many rights issues affect them negatively, older persons are claiming new sets of entitlements, including choice of sexuality and sexual activity, appropriate housing, innovative care-giving programs, as well as more control over end of life decisions. GAA works with human rights and research organizations to focus attention on these elder concerns.

Health
Global Action on Aging examines older persons' access to health care, medicine and care, both in the US and worldwide. It also documents how the market system can distort and prevent quality care for most persons. GAA spotlights the actions of for-profit firms in the health field that restrict or compromise older persons' chance to live healthy lives.

Pension Watch
Since its beginnings, Global Action on Aging has examined how income support in old age, either public or private, shapes how older people can survive out of the workforce. GAA monitors efforts to reduce pension income and "reforms" that reduce services and income for older persons. It tracks policy changes and the debates about "dependence," "entitlements," "generational equity," and many other issues. GAA gets immediate reports from affected pensioner groups and needy older persons in many countries.

Rural Aging
Most older persons in the world live in rural areas. Largely isolated from journalists and researchers, they take the full brunt of rapidly changing policies, of environmental disasters, disease, and often wars. GAA seeks to document the barriers that rural elderly face and point to ways to overcome this isolation.

Armed Conflict Project 
Launched in Spring 2003, this Project posts research on the legal, humanitarian and physical challenges facing older persons caught in armed conflict. GAA, along with partner organizations, advocates at the United Nations for the Security Council's adoption of comprehensive international policies that address the problems and potential contributions of older persons at all stages of an armed conflict.

Aging Watch at the UN
This website section tracks on an ongoing basis the reports, decisions, and other actions in the major United Nations organs charged to follow-up decisions made at the World Assembly on Ageing in 2002. At this historic assembly held in Madrid, the Member States of the UN adopted a Political Declaration and Plan of Action on Ageing. The agenda spells out the international commitments to integrate older persons' rights into national and international policies-both economic and social. 

Foreign Language Programs
GAA's website contains articles and reports in the six official languages of the UN. Each language section covers US and World stories as well as country specific issues about aging. Thanks to the availability of these languages, GAA's website attracts visitors from Latin America, Asia and the former Soviet Union. Journalists from these areas routinely use GAA's information as the focus or background of stories on population aging.

Internship Program 
Global Action on Aging's internship program offers national and international students and young professionals a unique working experience. Interns meet diplomats, UN staff, researchers, policy experts as well as older persons drawn from trade union, religious, and civic leaders. Learning about critical aging issues, they enhance their research and writing skills while building a large contact network.

In 2005 GAA has hosted five resident interns from France, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Germany and the USA. In addition, "virtual" interns from Ukraine and China contribute weekly to our website. Interns research and post over 40 articles per week in the six UN languages.

Newsletter
Every week Global Action on Aging publishes a free electronic newsletter that features articles on health, elder rights, pension, rural aging, older persons in armed conflict and aging topics at the UN gathered from around the world. 

Events
In addition to its web-based work, GAA organizes educational seminars for its constituents. It also produces expert panels as "side events" for UN conferences. GAA staff and interns also join demonstrations and other public expressions showing our concern over older persons' rights.

Highlights