Registration is now open for this session.
Age is often used as an excuse to justify treating people unequally and limiting their opportunities for meaningful contributions.
Ageism, unlike other forms of discrimination, is frequently accepted socially and usually goes unchallenged. According to the United Nations’ latest report, every second person in the world is believed to hold ageist attitudes, leading to poorer physical and mental health and reduced quality of life for older persons, costing societies billions of dollars each year. (Source: World Health Organization News Release, March 2021.)
Moving towards age equality requires a major shift- in the words we use to frame our understanding of age, in the government programs that are implemented to support older persons, and in adopting laws and policies that prohibit age discrimination.
In this session, we will discuss the importance of “ending ageism”, some of the critical strategies to strengthen the rights of older persons, and what you can do to ensure all older people enjoy their human rights as much as people in other generations.
Margaret Gillis is the founding President of the International Longevity Centre Canada, part of a global alliance of 16 Centers dedicated to the needs and rights of older people. An award-winning executive and innovative leader, Margaret played a key role in establishing the Age-friendly Community program in Canada and internationally, this program is now in over 900 Canadian communities and 26 countries worldwide. She is also Chair of the National Advocacy Working Group at the Global Alliance on the Rights of Older People (GAROP) and at the Working Group on Mainstreaming Aging at the UNECE.
Frances Zainoeddin is Vice-Chair of the NGO Committee on Ageing and is also a member of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women. She was key in establishing the Stakeholder Group on Ageing in 2013 and was actively engaged in the United Nations intergovernmental negotiations leading up to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensuring inclusion of the concerns of older persons. She is the UN Focal Point in New York for the Stakeholder Group on Ageing. Frances is also involved in the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing at the United Nations to expand the convention to protect and promote the rights of older persons.
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Provincial Learning Events take place the third Tuesday of the month from 10:30 AM to 12 Noon (PDT). These webinars are always free of charge and everyone is welcome.
