The Madrid Plan on aging is a good start “but not enough” to fully protect the rights of the world’s older people.

That’s the viewpoint of Maria Luz Melon, First Secretary of the Mission of Argentina to the United Nations, an advocate for the establishment of an international convention for the rights of older persons.

While a convention may be the “most ambitious” among the options being considered, it’s also the option “that has the real capacity for change,” she said.

The first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century can set the example. When she arrived in New York five years ago, Melon was involved in the final negotiations of that treaty -- the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities -- which was adopted at the end of 2006.

“I think there was a feeling, even when we were negotiating the convention, that the other big issue to be tackled was older persons,” she recalled.

Melon is one of three speakers who will offer regional perspectives on the need for a human rights instrument for older people as part of a Feb. 4 side event during the U.N. Commission on Social Development. Global Action on Aging staff members organized the event in cooperation with other NGO’s. 

Just as with persons with disabilities, Melon explained, the social conceptions of older persons “have not evolved with the reality and do not adequately allow these persons to fully enjoy their rights.”

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities became effective in May 2008. When the convention opened for signature on March 30, 2007, it had 82 signatories – the largest number of signatories to a UN convention ever on its opening day.

The United Nations believes the disabilities convention marks a "paradigm shift" in societal thinking about persons with disabilities. Rather than objects of charity or protection, such people are subjects with rights and the capability of making independent decisions.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has a distinct social development dimension, according to the UN Web site.

“It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.”

The paradigm shift on persons with disabilities was “one of the biggest achievements of the convention,” according to Melon. With interaction among national governments, diplomats, U.N. experts and nongovernmental organizations, a convention can “generate a real forum, a real discussion,” she said, about today’s society and the role that various groups play in it.

She acknowledged that there has been some overall progress regarding human rights. “In the last 30 years, we have seen that our societies have been very successful in ensuring a better standard of living, a longer healthier life for its citizens,” Melon said.

But, she noted, it often remains unrecognized that a 65-year-old is not near the end of his or her life and still has full capacity “to work, to evolve, to learn” and carry out important roles in society.

”We need to have legislation that is based on that understanding,” Melon declared.

Latin American countries, including Argentina, have begun to push for such legislation. At a summit of 10 presidents “there was an express commitment to promote, within the Untied Nations, a call for an international convention on the rights of older persons,” she said.

Some of the support for a convention lies in the recognition that such an instrument can “quickly affect persons’ lives” in contrast to programs that are only voluntary.

“Our approach is that of persuasion rather than lobbying,” Melon said. “We are engaging in dialogue.”

Other steps can be taken as momentum builds for a convention, she added. “More and more countries are committing themselves to address the fact that the rights of older persons will not be adequately addressed…as more people age.”

The U.N. Secretary General has been asked to prepare a two-year, in depth study of older persons and human rights, which Melon expects will provide enough information to persuade other countries “for the urgent need of a convention.” Once the study concludes in 2012, member states will have had time to evaluate the data, she pointed out, and will be able to take action quickly.

The wrong approach would be basing any decision solely on the financial cost involved with a convention, said Melon. She pointed out that inadequately coping with “the immense challenges we are going to face as our population ages” will be much more costly in the long run.