L’Italia sostiene il Policy Brief del SG ONU Guterres sull’Impatto di COVID-19 sulle Persone Anziane —
“Statement of Support to the UN Secretary General’s Policy Brief on The Impact of COVID-19 on Older Persons”
In the face of the unprecedented spread of COVID-19, we strongly support the appeal by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for countries to promote responses to the pandemic based on the respect of the rights and dignity of older people as well as global solidarity. In this regard, we welcome the release of the Policy Brief of the United Nations Secretary-General on the impact of COVID-19 on older people.
We express our deep concern regarding the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the lives of older persons.
We recognize that, while the pandemic spreads among persons of all ages and conditions, older persons are at a significantly higher risk of mortality and severe disease following infection, with those over 80 years old dying at five times the average rate.
At a time when international and intergenerational solidarity is needed the most, we express our deep concern over the escalation of ageism, including age discrimination and stigmatization of older persons, which aggravate their vulnerabilities.
We also recognize that solidarity between generations at all levels, within families, communities and nations, is fundamental for the achievement of a society for all ages.
We are aware that some protection measures adopted to prevent the spread of the COVID19 pandemic can exacerbate the vulnerabilities and challenges faced by older people not only regarding their access to healthcare services, life-saving treatments and access to social services, but they can also have negative impacts on their jobs, and pensions as well as their mental and physical health.
We are deeply concerned about distressing reports indicating instances of neglect and mistreatment as well as high rates of mortality due to COVID-19, which are affecting older people living in nursing homes and care institutions.
We are also concerned about the situation of older persons who are quarantined or locked down with family members or caregivers and who may also face higher risks of discrimination, violence, abuse, and neglect. In this regard, we must scale up our efforts and strengthen measures to protect older persons, particularly older women, from any form of gender- based violence and abuse, such as domestic violence.
We also express deep concern about the threats faced by older people in humanitarian settings, where overcrowding, limited healthcare, nutritious food, water and sanitation, and barriers to humanitarian assistance can exacerbate their risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We recognize that older persons make substantial contributions to sustainable development efforts, including through their experience and their active and meaningful participation in society. In that sense, it is imperative to fully empower older persons to allow them to effectively make that contribution as rights holders and active, autonomous and independent agents and beneficiaries of change.
We strongly believe that measures taken as a response to the COVID-19 must include the participation of older people, be inclusive of their specific needs and ensure their right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, ensure their access to lifesaving treatments, and protect their social and economic wellbeing on an equal basis with others.
We must all work together to strengthen the international and intergenerational solidarity to promote responses that foster healthy ageing and the human rights and dignity of older people during COVID-19 crisis and the recovery process.
We therefore commit to fully promoting and respecting the dignity and rights of older people and to mitigate the negative impacts during and after the COVID-19 pandemic on their health, lives, rights and wellbeing. We further commit to working with all partners to strengthen global and national targeted responses to address the needs and rights of older persons and foster more inclusive, equitable, resilient and age-friendly societies.
Signatories:
1. Albania 2. Andorra 3. Angola 4. Antigua and Barbuda 5. Argentina 6. Australia 7. Austria 8. Azerbaijan 9. Bahamas 10. Bahrain 11. Bangladesh 12. Belgium 13. Belize 14. Bhutan 15. Bolivia 16. Bosnia and Herzegovina 17. Brazil 18. Bulgaria 19. Burkina Faso 20. Burundi 21. Cambodia 22. Canada 23. Cabo Verde 24. Central African Republic 25. Chile 26. China 27. Colombia 28. Comoros 29. Congo 30. Costa Rica 31. Côte d’Ivoire 32. Croatia 33. Cyprus 34. Czech Republic 35. Denmark 36. Djibouti 37. Dominican Republic 38. Ecuador 39. El Salvador 40. Equatorial Guinea 41. Estonia 42. Eswatini 43. Ethiopia 44. Finland 45. France 46. Gambia 47. Georgia 48. Germany 49. Ghana 50. Greece 51. Grenada 52. Guatemala 53. Guinea 54. Guyana 55. Haiti 56. Honduras 57. Hungary 58. Iceland 59. India 60. Ireland 61. Israel 62. Italy 63. Jamaica 64. Japan 65. Jordan 66. Kazakhstan 67. Kenya 68. Latvia 69. Lebanon 70. Lesotho 71. Liberia 72. Liechtenstein 73. Lithuania 74. Luxembourg 75. Madagascar 76. Malawi 77. Maldives 78. Mali 79. Malta 80. Marshall Islands 81. Mauritius 82. Mexico 83. Mongolia 84. Montenegro 85. Morocco 86. Myanmar 87. Namibia 88. North Macedonia 89. Nepal 90. Netherlands 91. New Zealand 92. Nigeria 93. Norway 94. Pakistan 95. Palau 96. Panama 97. Paraguay 98. Peru 99. Philippines 100. Poland 101. Portugal 102. Qatar 103. Republic of Korea 104. Republic of Moldova 105. Romania 106. Saint Kitts and Nevis 107. Saint Lucia 108. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 109. San Marino 110. Saudi Arabia 111. Senegal 112. Serbia 113. Sierra Leone 114. Singapore 115. Slovakia 116. Slovenia 117. South Africa 118. Spain 119. Sri Lanka 120. Sudan 121. Suriname 122. Switzerland 123. Sweden 124. Thailand 125. Trinidad and Tobago 126. Tunisia 127. Turkey 128. Turkmenistan 129. Uganda 130. Ukraine 131. United Kingdom 132. United Republic of Tanzania 133. Uruguay 134. Uzbekistan 135. Venezuela 136. Vietnam 137. Zambia 138. Zimbabwe 139. European Union 140. State of Palestine
