GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTER
August 2012
In this issue
UN continues its work on strengthening the protection of the human rights of olderpersons
Social protection in European Union development cooperation
International Days at the United Nations
Useful resources and links
Words of gratitude to Denys Correll
In focus: The UN continues its work on strengthening the protection of the human rightsof older persons

The third session of the Open-ended Working
Group (OEWG) on Ageing was convened at UN Headquarters in New York from 21 to 24 August
2012. The mandate for the meeting was provided by the UN General Assembly in December 2010
in its resolution 65/182, which established an Open-ended Working Group on Ageing for thepurpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons by considering theexisting human rights framework, as well as by identifying possible gaps and ways and means ofaddressing those gaps. Consideration of the feasibility of some new dedicated legal instruments
aimed at strengthening the rights of older persons (for example, the elaboration of the Convention
on the Rights of Older Persons, or other pertinent measures), was identified as another importantobjective of the OEWG.
All Member States of the UN were invited to participate in the work of the recent session of theOpen-ended Group, as were civil society organizations. Compared to the previous two sessions, themeeting in August 2012 saw much more active participation on the part of Asian and Africancountries, along with a well-coordinated position effectively presented by the Latin American group.
ICSW participated in the deliberations of the OEWG, voicing support for the refinement of its
methods of work and the renewal of its mandate. Presenting the views of its members, the ICSWstatement underscored the fact that the quest for the protection and promotion of the human rightsof older persons is not something abstract, but is instead very down-to earth and has practicalsignificance for ICSW activities at the local level. In the words of the statement:
Page 1 of 4

“The results of the first review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan ofAction on Ageing have demonstrated that wide-spread age discrimination, neglect
and violence against older women and men, as well as the absence of meaningfulsocial protection, have remained an unfortunate reality in many countries, rich andpoor alike, but particularly so in low-income developing countries. The mainstreamingof older persons’ concerns in policies and programmes at the national level remains
generally the exception rather than the rule. It is not a secret that knowledge of theMadrid Plan at the national level is often quite minimal, and many commitments of
the Madrid Plan have remained only on paper. The fact that the Madrid Plan is not abinding international document does not help its implementation either. It is obviousthat we need a more powerful dedicated international instrument to trigger decisive
national action to improve the treatment of older persons in many societies”.
The full text of the ICSW statement is available on http://social.un.org/ageing-workinggroup/thirdsession.shtml
The participants in the meeting had before them several new important submissions, including theanalytical outcome paper produced by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
regarding normative standards in international human rights law in relation to older persons. This
comprehensive and very recent document released in August 2012 just before the meeting contains
the following conclusion:“The shared experiences of older persons globally as a diverse, but neverthelessminimally definable and increasingly large group in society, alone gives rise toconsideration of the necessity of tailored approaches to rights protection. The nonimplementation of the existing standards, themselves widely viewed as inadequate to
the situation of older persons, and the systemic and global non-realization of therights of older people everyday strengthen this argument” (p. 34).
The full text of the document is available at http://social.un.org/ageing-workinggroup/thirdsession.shtml
While the work done at the third session was a direct continuation of the discourse of the two
previous sessions and sought to build on the relevant conclusions, the third session of the OEWG
also expanded the frontiers of the discussions into new areas pertaining to the rights of older
persons. Despite the divergence in views regarding the need for a new legal instrument, theparticipants in the meeting largely agreed on the continuation of the discussions. The decision on
the renewal of the mandate of the Open-ended Group will be made by the UN General Assembly in
December 2012.
Social protection in European Union development cooperation
The European Commission has just released a working document (“Communication”) which outlines
how EU development assistance can strengthen social protection in partner countries. Apart fromaddressing general themes (why social protection is important, what is social protection and how it
supports inclusive development), the paper provides specific proposals for more effective
development cooperation in the social area.
While there is great variety in the social protection systems across the European Union, theCommunication states that in principle all EU Member States are“committed to providing universal access to social protection against the major lifecycle risks, in line with the guarantee contained in Article 34 of the Charter ofFundamental Rights of the European Union”.
The situation in the developing countries is different owing to the much higher levels of informality
in their economies, as well as the low income tax base, relatively low budget allocations for social
protection and highly segmented social insurance systems whereby only a small minority in thePage 2 of 4

formal sector gets benefits. The level of social spending in the two groups of countries is very
different—on average, developing countries spend around a quarter of what is spent on social
protection in the developed economies. As a result, only about 20% of the world’s working-age
population has access to comprehensive social protection systems. In low-income countries thesituation regarding the provision of social protection is even worse, owing to the relative lack ofresources as well as the weakness of public institutions.
Spelling out the future direction of EU development cooperation in support of social protection in
partner countries, the Communication states that“the EU seeks to include social protection in its policy dialogues with partnercountries on their national development strategies and should further promote andassist the development of context-specific social protection systems that are efficient,equitable and sustainable”.
The European Commission supports nationally-owned social protection policies, including social
protection floors, and draws attention to a renewed political commitment to social protection by theinternational community, demonstrated by the adoption of the 2012 International Labour
Conference recommendation on social protection floors.
Social protection in the developing economies is discussed in relation to both middle-income andlow-income countries. The need for revenue reform and widening of the tax-base is highlighted,
along with measures aimed at capacity-building for strong institutions and support for job creationand employment.
The need to involve civil society and the private sector in social protection implementation activities
is also emphasized. The Communication underscores that ”civil society and the social partners
should be empowered and encouraged to partner with the state in developing and implementingsocial protection systems”. Gender–related concerns should be addressed in social protection policy
and programme design in order to ensure that men and women benefit equally:“social protection systems must address women’s life-cycle risks and the burden ofcare that they bear, as well as the impediments to women’s access to work” .
The document concludes with a discussion of development cooperation programming andmodalities. It points out that social protection could be selected as one of the sectors forcooperation in individual country or regional programmes. It could also feature as a dimension inother sector programmes, such as employment, health, education, food security, agriculture,private sector development and so on. Social protection schemes may also be supported throughthematic programmes, complementing geographical programmes.
For the further details
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/what/social-protection/documents/com_2012_446_en.pdf

International Days celebrated at the United Nations
Several International Days observed by the United Nations were celebrated in August at United
Nations Headquarters and around the world.
The International Day of the World's Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by
the General Assembly in December 1994. The focus of this year's International Day was"Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices". The theme sought to highlight the importanceof indigenous media in challenging stereotypes, forging indigenous peoples' identities,
communicating with the outside world, and influencing the social and political agenda. The messageof the Secretary-General on the occasion of the International Day of the World’ Indigenous people
can be found at http://www.un.org/en/events/indigenousday/2012/sgmessage.shtml
The UN International Youth Day is held annually on August 12 to celebrate the achievements of
the world’s youth and to encourage their participation in enhancing society. It also seeks topromote ways to engage youth in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions
Page 3 of 4

to their communities. The theme of International Youth Day 2012 is "Building a Better World:
Partnering with Youth" — a global call to action to develop and engage in partnerships with and foryouth. The message of the Secretary-General on the occasion of the International Youth Day 2012
can be found at http://www.un.org/en/events/youthday/2012/sg.shtml
World Humanitarian Day (19 August) is an occasion to recognize those who face danger andadversity in order to help others. Every day humanitarian aid workers help millions of people
around the world, regardless of who they are and where they are. World Humanitarian Day is a
global celebration of people helping people. This year’s campaign "I Was Here" is about making
your mark by doing something good, somewhere, for someone else.
The message from the Secretary-General on the occasion of the World Humanitarian Day can befound at: http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/2012/sg_2012.shtml
Useful resources and links
The International Institute of Social Studies (The Hague, Netherlands) has released a new
publication called Inclusion of Minorities by Ellen Webbink. The publication is part of the ongoingproject on “Indices of Social Development”, geared at providing quantitative variables for policy
analysis. For furher details:
http://www.indsocdev.org/resources/ISD%20Inclusion%20of%20Minorities.pdf
The report of the Ageing Societies Working Group (Imperial College, London in partnership withQatar Foundation) released in August 2012 is entitled Creating Sustainable Health and CareSystems in Ageing Societies and is conceived as a new framework for thinking about ageingsocieties. For further details: https://go.madmimi.com/redirects/1345825785242a86bdad0048156e074c580e4eefdc-56da1c6?pa=11347015631
Words of gratitude to Denys Correll
Dear subscribers to the Global Newsletter!
This month is my first month as Executive Director of the ICSW and editor of its Global Cooperation
Newsletter, and one of my first tasks must be to express, on behalf of the ICSW, our debt of deep
gratitude to the outgoing Executive Director and editor, Denys Correll, who retired effective 31 July
2012. Denys worked for ICSW for ten years. He is well known, not only as a top-notch professionalwith a clear mind but also as a person with a compassionate heart, who invested a lot of hisenergy and intellect into the fight against poverty, injustice, and inequality in the world. An efficientmanager, he was never reluctant to carry even a disproportionate weight on many projects
implemented by the ICSW, always focusing on the root causes of problems in our efforts to find asolution. His overall contribution to the work of the ICSW has been invaluable, and he has earned
enormous respect from his colleagues and peers. All of us at ICSW wish Denys well in the newstage of his life. There are many good thing ahead -- new people to meet, new books to read, newphotos to take. And his friendly advice—so appropriate and important for all of us - is always
welcome. Bon voyage, Denys! Sergei Zelenev, ICSW Executive Director and Newsletter Editor
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided the source isacknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent policies of ICSW.
Newsletter Editor: Sergei Zelenev, Executive Director
Address: ICSW, P.O.Box 28957, ICSW, Plot 4, Berkeley Lane, Off Lugard Avenue,Kampala, Uganda
Phone + +1 718 796 7417, +256414321150
Website www.icsw.org; E-mail: szelenev@icsw.org, icsw@icsw.org
If you wish to cease receiving this newsletter, please click 'here' providing your name and email
address
Page 4 of 4