I am pleased to confirm that at the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council, in March 2025, Ireland co-sponsored the Resolution on Older Persons. This Resolution decides to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group of the Human Rights Council with the mandate of elaborating and submitting a draft international legally binding instrument on the human rights of older persons with the objective of promoting, protecting, and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by older persons. The decision to support this Resolution was taken through consultation with Departments who lead on related national policy.
Worldwide, the proportion of people aged 60 years and over is growing and will continue to grow faster than any other age group due to declining fertility and rising longevity. Older people need adequate income support as they age, opportunities to engage in decent employment should they wish to remain active, and access to appropriate health and social services.
We have a strong record of supporting the rights of older persons through international bodies. Ireland co-sponsored the resolutions on older persons at the 51st session of the HRC in 2022 and at the 54th session of the HRC in 2023. Further, we voted in favour of the UN General Assembly plenary resolution ‘Consideration of decision 14/1 of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing “Recommendations regarding the identification of possible gaps in the protection of the human rights of older persons and how best to address them” following the 14th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing in August 2024.
I am supportive of the decision to establish the Inter-Governmental Working Group and the call for regional consultations to contribute to the work of the Open-Ended Working Group and look forward to continued work to protect the rights of older persons.
