States have legal obligations to “implement climate policies that empower all people, including older persons, by ensuring their full and effective participation in climate action at all levels” (A/HRC/47/46 2021). This requires that meaningful opportunities must be created for older persons to participate in climate action, through the exchange of information and overcoming barriers to their inclusion. Nonetheless, to date, older persons have been excluded from most climate change policies despite their greater susceptibility to physical illness and mortality following severe climate events. This aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, which urges nations to take urgent action to mitigate and adapt to climate change and its impact.
As part of the United Nations International Day of Older Persons (UN IDOP) 2022, the NGO Committee on Ageing Geneva is inviting you to an online event that will aim to:
- advocate for climate change action;
- promote action and impact including at community and grassroots levels;
- ensure that research informs policy; and
- call on Member States to commit to a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons in which climate change is taken into account.
