Geneva,
2 October, 1999

Launching of the Global Movement for Active Ageing 
and the International Day of Older Persons

It is a great privilege and pleasure for me to be here today on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons and the UN Open Day.

For the entire history of the United Nations, Geneva has been its host. This relationship is so old and close that one rarely thinks about the one without the other. Thousands of UN employees, past and present, have enjoyed the hospitality of the Swiss-Romands and the beauty of the city. Millions of others have fond memories from visits to this city while they attended meetings at the UN. It is a small but heartfelt gesture for us to open up our doors and show you how this large family of organizations works.

Almost exactly one year ago, I spoke in this Assembly Hall. Together with many of you in this audience and on this podium today, we launched the International Year of Older Persons 1999.

Much has been said during this past year about the ageing of the global population. So you know very well that rapid population ageing is triggered when people live longer and longer, and fewer and fewer children are being born.

Population ageing is occurring not just in the industrialized countries but also in virtually the whole of the developing world. Today, 60% of people over 60 live in developing countries and in 25 years that proportion will exceed 75%.

There have been many shrill voices warning of a "Grey Dawn", of the breakdown of welfare and health systems under the weight of this new wave of elder persons, too old to work and too ill to manage on their own. We are headed for a catastrophe, some of these prophets warn.

Such potential trends are of course of great concern to the World Health Organization. If our health systems are under threat of breaking down in the decades to follow, we all need to do something about it. And what have we done?

We have arranged a walk.

Since the sun rose over the Pacific Ocean more than twenty hours ago, millions of people - old and young alike - have walked together, in New Zealand, in the Philippines, in Tanzania and in almost every country in-between.

What we have seen here at the Palais des Nations this morning is our contribution to what is to my knowledge the biggest health promotion event by and for older people ever held. It has been called "the Global Embrace", and it is exactly what its name implies: a 24-hour walk and health promotion event, as well as a celebration, starting in the Pacific and continuing around the world through hundreds and hundreds of cities and towns, as the sun progresses, until it once again reaches the Pacific.

In Europe alone, scores of cities from Rome to Helsinki, from Bucharest to London are now in the midst of their events. In a few hours people will get up and walk and dance in more than a thousand small and large towns in Latin America. And in New York City, they are "Ageing out Loud" - this is their slogan - to draw attention to the pride they feel about being our older citizens.

This event, the Global Embrace, was initiated by WHO but is being carried out at the local level by thousands of committed organizers, older people and their communities. We will highlight that individuals can make choices about healthy lifestyles, and that policy-makers can make well-informed decisions that help keep the largest possible number of people productive and healthy at older ages.

Does this mean that we don’t share the view of the doom-sayers, who see old people as a burden and a threat to society? That’s right. We don’t. On the contrary, we see older people as a gift and a resource to society. But like all gifts, if they are not appreciated and used, they will become a burden.

WHO has been tracking for some time the encouraging research evidence that disability rates are actually falling among the older population in several industrialized countries. We need to better understand this trend and to find out how we can replicate it elsewhere.

Regardless of where we live, we all want to be integrated in our communities, to have meaningful things to do that keep our spirits and minds active, to stay close to our families if not in physical distance so at least in spiritual closeness, and to remain in a reasonably good physical shape to go about our daily tasks.

And let me make one thing perfectly clear: Active Ageing does not exclude those who are in ill health who may have lost their independence and are disabled. Older persons who are in need of care are the ones who most need WHO's leadership in developing right and affordable policies to ensure dignity and quality of life. WHO initiatives on long-term care developed with our partners throughout the world are also part of what we call policies for Active Ageing.

When we speak about active ageing, we certainly do not mean only physical aspects, however important they may be. What is equally important is social and mental well-being, which are essential when adding more life to years and not merely years to life.

In fact, the Global Embrace is an impressive demonstration of what Active Ageing is all about, because older people themselves and their organizations have most often taken the lead in the planning and organizing of these events in their cities and towns. As we celebrate in Geneva, let us salute all the older persons here and elsewhere who are taking part in these events. Together they have created a tremendous world wide momentum in support of Active Ageing.

But how can we sustain the momentum created by today's events? Let me assure you that WHO will continue to play a leading role in promoting Active Ageing policies in the future. Building on the momentum created by the Global Embrace, we are launching the Global Movement for Active Ageing, which is a new WHO Network. We look forward to working with governments and civil society partners. We look forward to harnessing new energy to promote policies and programmes that work best to maintain us in good health as we age.

Getting older is good for individuals and their societies. Getting older while being active and healthy is even better! Together we can achieve this goal.

Thank you.