UN co-ordinator calls for social system to support the aged

UN co-ordinator calls for social system to support the aged
By Namatama Mundia
Fri 01 Oct. 2010, 15:30 CAT

UNITED Nations resident coordinator in Zambia Kanni Wignaraja has observed that a social system to support the aged is needed to hold gains on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the country.

In a message to commemorate the International Day of Older Persons which fell yesterday under the global theme “Older persons and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”, Wignaraja stated that efforts to reach the MDGs would be incomplete and gains will soon be rolled back unless order persons who have taken on this dual responsibility of looking after themselves and their orphaned grandchildren were included in the process.

“A universal social security scheme will help,” she stated.
Wignaraja noted that a critical factor that magnified the concerns of the aged in Zambia was the spread of HIV and AIDS.

“This has caused a significant demographic dent in the population structure of Zambia, with the dependency ratio increasing as the percentage of young and old increases in relation to the number of those in their mid-adult years,” she stated. “…two-thirds of all orphans are in the care of grandparents whose economic status is weak.”

Wignaraja said this year’s theme was meant to examine progress towards achieving the MDGs from the perspective of empowerment of older persons, giving attention to their inclusion, their participation in society and promotion of a positive image of ageing.

“This day also acknowledges older persons as an increasingly major segment of society and opens an avenue for dialogue on the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the United Nations Principles for Older Persons,” she stated.

Wignaraja stated that the Plan of Action called on the international community to better integrate the needs of older persons, especially the poor, into economic and social planning.