Thread

Longer lives are one of the greatest achievements of our time. Global life expectancy today is 8.4 years higher than it was in 1995. Longer lives have transformed how long we work, participate, make decisions and rely on public institutions. But our systems and human rights protections have not kept pace. Older people continue to face age discrimination and gaps in the protection of their autonomy, health, security and participation. As people live longer, our institutions must ensure they can continue to exercise their rights fully and equally at every age. The UN Human Rights Office has found that existing international human rights protections do not adequately address the specific barriers older persons face, and work is now underway at the Human Rights Council on a new legally binding international instrument. The task is to ensure that the rights people hold throughout their lives are effectively protected as people live longer.