African leaders urged to ratify protocol on protecting older people’s rights

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 31 — Global campaigners on Monday piled
pressure on African leaders attending the 30th African Union Summit in
Addis Ababa to hasten ratification of a continental protocol on advancing
the welfare of the aging population.

The campaigners said in a statement issued in Addis Ababa that
implementation of the protocol that was adopted by AU member States in 2016
is key to ensuring the continent’s elderly citizens live in dignity. “As
we mark the protocol’s second anniversary, only four member states have
signed it and no single member has ratified it,” said Prafulla Mishra, the
Africa Regional Director, HelpAge International. “This is a big setback
for older people across the continent and goes against the spirit of
protocol’s adoption as older men and women in Africa continue to face
discrimination, abuse, neglect and violence in social, cultural and
political spheres,” he added. The AU Heads of State Summit in January 2016
adopted the Protocol on the Rights of Older Persons that was expected to
strengthen policy and legislative interventions aimed at improving the
welfare of this demographic.

Mishra termed the adoption of this continental protocol a milestone in
protection of the rights of older people but stressed that its
implementation hinged on political goodwill. “The adoption of the protocol
led to widespread celebrations by older people and wider society who viewed
it as a commitment by African leaders to make aging a positive experience.
These people must not be let down,” said Mishra. African lobby groups have
rallied behind speedy ratification of the protocol on advancing the rights
and welfare of senior citizens who comprise an estimated 6.3 percent of the
continent’s population. Augustine Lansana, the head of a Sierra Leonean
faith-based advocacy network, said ratification of the protocol would
transform the lives of elderly citizens grappling with poverty, disease and
neglect. “The protocol if ratified and implemented has the potential to
transform and significantly improve the well-being and quality of life of
millions of older women and men in Sierra Leone and across Africa,” said
Lansana.

Elisha Mwamkinga, the Executive Director of a Tanzanian grassroots advocacy
group, said that African governments must demonstrate their commitment to
promote the welfare of senior citizens by ratifying the continental
protocol.”By ratifying the protocol, governments would be practicing what
they preach by granting and safeguarding the rights of older people,”
Mwamkinga said.He noted that the Tanzanian government has reaffirmed its
commitment to enact age-friendly policies and urged other African countries
to follow suit. – XINHUA