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Title | Date added | Template | Original document | Paragraph text | Body | Document type | Thematics | Topic(s) | Person(s) affected | Year |
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The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 13 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Special Rapporteur believes that the dominant view, which considers ageing a biomedical problem, leads to the unfortunate perception of ageing as an abnormal or pathological phenomenon because it equates advanced age with illness. This position is not only inconsistent with the holistic approach to human health, but it also perpetuates a perception of older persons as dependent and sick. When considering the health of older persons, the Special Rapporteur is of the view that there must be a paradigm shift away from the perception of older persons as a "social burden" to one that emphasizes the process of "active ageing" and that will reorient our ideas about ageing to focus on the continuing contribution of older persons to society. According to WHO, active ageing aims to optimize opportunities for health, participation and security amongst older persons in order to enhance their quality of life. The word active therefore refers to continuing participation in social, economic, cultural and civic affairs, and not simply the ability to be physically active or to participate in the labour force. | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 31 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Even in developed countries, contributory systems are often inadequate to protect the elderly: often benefits are too low to cover costs of living. Moreover, legislation related to compulsory retirement age can make it impossible for some older persons to find additional sources of income. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 24 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The HIV/AIDS epidemic impacts on older persons in two ways. First, mostly middle-aged people die from the disease and older persons are more likely to be left without the care and support of their children. Second, they also may become the primary caregivers to their orphaned grandchildren. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 22 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | In addition, there are non-binding United Nations instruments and international documents on ageing and older persons, such as the 1982 Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, the 1991 United Nations Principles for Older Persons, the 1992 Global targets on ageing for the year, and the 1992 Proclamation on Ageing. The most recent of these is the Political Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in April 2002, and endorsed by the General Assembly in resolution 57/167 of 18 December 2002. The Political Declaration reaffirms the global commitment to promote and protect human rights and to eliminate age-discrimination, neglect, abuse and violence (art. 5). It further makes reference to the right to health (art. 14), the opportunity to work and the continuing access to education and training programmes (art. 12). It has guided the development of legislation and policies at the national level and provided a framework for international cooperation, which resulted in, among other things, the establishment of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons in 2010, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 65/182. | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 21 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Nonetheless, different human rights treaty monitoring bodies have interpreted and applied existing norms to older persons as a group, recognizing their vulnerability to discrimination and exclusion. In 1995, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) adopted general comment No. 6, which offers a detailed interpretation of the specific obligations of State parties regarding each of the rights contained in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as they apply to older persons. In 2010, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women adopted general recommendation No. 27 on older women and the protection of their human rights. General comment No. 14 of CESCR elaborates on substantive issues arising from the implementation of the right to health and addresses particular issues related to older persons, including "preventive, curative and rehabilitative health treatment…maintaining the functionality and autonomy of older persons … [and] attention and care for chronically and terminally ill persons, sparing them avoidable pain and enabling them to die with dignity". | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 17 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Differences between the genders in respect of the ageing process must also be acknowledged, given that global life expectancy at birth for women is currently 70 years, and is significantly higher than for men at 66 years. Given differing life expectancies, it is more often men who are able to rely on informal care from their spouses than women. Women who outlive their husbands are more often left with no spousal support, relying on informal care by other relatives or the formal care system. Compounding this problem is the fact that older women are frequently excluded from social security and health insurance schemes that are linked to formal, paid employment. They are also at much greater risk of poverty than men. In many countries older women are less likely than men to hold valuable assets in their own name (A/HRC/14/31, paras. 19-21). These factors limit women's ability to provide for their own health-related needs in later life. Furthermore, lack of access to health care services for debilitating diseases such as cancer and hypertension, or illnesses disproportionately affecting women such as osteoporosis, have also been noted to prevent older women from enjoying their full human rights (CEDAW/C/GC/27). | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
The right of persons with disabilities to social protection 2015, para. 11 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | As a foundation for any national social protection system, these floors must ensure, at a minimum, access to essential health care (including maternity care) and to a basic level of income security for (a) children - including access to food, education, care and other necessary goods and services; (b) persons of active age who are unable to earn sufficient income, including persons with disabilities; and (c) older persons. The ILO recommendation concerning national floors of social protection, 2012 (No. 202) identifies as priority areas of attention the prevention and alleviation of poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion, and sets forth guidelines for implementing and monitoring national strategies that are participatory, country-led, sustainable and regularly reviewed. It also provides guidance to States on progressively providing higher levels of protection to as many people as possible and as soon as possible, reflecting States' economic and fiscal capacities. The recommendation also recognizes the principles of non-discrimination, gender equality and responsiveness to specific needs, and emphasizes that any initiative should support people with special needs and other potentially disadvantaged groups. | Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Women and health 1999, para. 1h | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | [Actions to be taken by Governments, the United Nations system and civil society, as appropriate:] (h) Adopt preventive and promotional health policies at an early stage where possible in order to prevent health problems and dependence of older women and enable them to lead independent and healthy lives; | Commission on the Status of Women | CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration |
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| 1999 | ||
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 19 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Younger children are at high risk of violence, especially when they are placed in residential care. They are heavily dependent on caregivers for their development and well-being, and when neglected, injured or abused, they have less ability to speak up and seek support. If they are surrounded by violence and stress, they can suffer long-lasting emotional trauma and harm to their health, including irreversible damage to brain development. | Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children | SRSG report |
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| 2015 | ||
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2012, para. 27 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Some older persons might also face stigma, in particular when suffering dementia or other mental illnesses and requiring care, including for their sanitation and hygiene needs. Incontinence is not uncommon, but usually not openly addressed. Again, stigma can contribute to making the particular needs of older persons invisible, preventing the care they require and isolating them. | Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Servile marriage 2012, para. 78 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | According to Save the Children in the 2004 edition of its annual publication, State of the World's Mothers, once born, children of girl brides are twice as likely to die before the age of 1 year as the children of a woman in her twenties. If they survive, the children are more likely than those born to older mothers to have poorer health care and inadequate nutrition as a result of the mother's poor feeding behaviour. | Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 56 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | One of the most encouraging developments in recent years in relation to economic and social rights has been the growth of specialist NGOs at the international, national and, especially, local levels working to promote either economic and social rights in general or specific rights such as those relating to health, housing, education, water, gender equality, disability and ageing. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 46 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Mr. Bengoa also recommended the creation of a social forum to facilitate the participation of States, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and corporations in discussing how to take economic, social and cultural rights into account in their policies. The Social Forum was set up in 2002 and recent sessions have focused on the rights of older persons (2014) and on the rights of access to medicines in the context of the right to health (2015). | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
Unpaid care work and women's human rights 2013, para. 47 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Ensuring the enjoyment of rights of other members of the population - such as older persons, children and persons with disabilities - will also prove beneficial to their caregivers, by alleviating and redistributing intensive care needs. In this regard, inter alia, States are required to provide physical as well as psychological rehabilitative measures aimed at maintaining the functionality and autonomy of older persons; and attention and care for chronically and terminally ill persons. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2013 | ||
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 38 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Such factors often act as a persuasive deterrent against seeking redress from judicial or adjudicatory mechanisms, or may indeed represent an insurmountable obstacle for the poorest and most marginalized. This is especially so for those who have limited mobility, such as older persons or persons with disabilities, or those for whom travel is more difficult or dangerous, including women and children. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2012 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 91 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Social pensions should be planned and implemented in close coordination with other initiatives aimed at ensuring the enjoyment of the right to the highest attainable standard of health by older persons. In fact, providing pensions can be a clear opportunity to further integrate health services into social assistance. For example, in Mexico beneficiaries of cash transfers were given the chance to participate in health prevention and nutrition workshops as well as other social activities. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 90 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | For older persons, financial security and health are closely linked: expenses for health care and medicines account for as much as three quarters of the income of the poorest groups. Under these circumstances, the positive impact of social protection initiatives on older persons' standards of living can be nullified by the burden posed by health-care-related costs. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 89 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Social protection programmes should not be restricted only to monetary support. As addressed above, social pensions do not work in isolation - they must be complemented by various services. Older persons are rights-holders who require not only social security support, but a multitude of social services to ensure an adequate standard of living, including in particular access to health care. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 48 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Considering the vulnerability of older persons, the Committee highlights the fact that States are duty-bound to progressively ensure that everyone is covered by contributory or non-contributory systems. To this end, States parties must develop a national strategy for the full implementation of the right to social security in old age, and allocate adequate fiscal and other resources at the national level. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 45 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognizes that "everyone has the right to special protection in old age" (art. 17). It also called for States to take the necessary steps "to make this right a reality", particularly by providing food and adequate medical services; undertaking work programmes specifically designed for the elderly and establishing social organizations designed to improve the quality of life for the elderly. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 36 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Social pensions, however, should be seen as only one component of a broad social protection system designed to tackle the multidimensional aspects of poverty. The focus on older persons should consist of setting basic, non-contributory pensions as one of the pillars of a comprehensive approach that includes measures to ensure access to basic services (especially health services) and eliminate discrimination based on sex. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 18 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Households with children headed by older persons and households consisting only of older persons, in particular single women, tend to be more vulnerable to poverty. The occurrence of poverty is particularly high in countries with large migratory trends and in countries hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Single older persons tend to be poorer in both developed and developing countries. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 17 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | As people age, they become frailer and their need for health-care services is likely to increase. Such needs incur costs that older persons cannot always cover adequately. For example, when user fees are imposed on health-care services, older persons without a reliable income may not be able to access these services. In these contexts, many may fall into a vicious cycle where poor health engenders poverty and poverty engenders poor health. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 15 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | While increased longevity is a worldwide phenomenon, the elderly population is by no means uniform, and risk factors for poverty are multiple depending on the country and on personal situation. Core factors include: lack of access to regular income and work and health care, declining physical and mental capacities, and dependency within the household. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Social protection and old age poverty 2010, para. 8 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | There is an urgent need to understand the implications of increasing longevity in the world. The population aged over 60 is expected to rise from 737 million persons in 2009 to over 2 billion in 2050. Those older than 80 years represent the fastest growing segment of all societies. Moreover, older women increasingly outnumber older men as their ages increase. | Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2010 | ||
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 75 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Physically active older people have lower rates of all-cause mortality than their sedentary counterparts, and experience many health benefits, including healthier body mass and improved bone health, and lowered risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Moreover, regular exercise plays an important role in preventing depression and cognitive decline. | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2016 | ||
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 30 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Other thematic reports have explored the enjoyment of the right to health and the underlying determinants, including water and sanitation, occupational health, the right to health in conflict, unhealthy foods, and the right to health of migrants, older persons and persons with psychosocial disabilities (including the key issue of informed consent). | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2015 | ||
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 25 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Under the right-to-health framework, health facilities, goods and services should be made available, accessible, affordable, acceptable and be of good quality for older persons. Availability refers to the fact that functioning public health and health-care facilities, goods and services, as well as programmes, have to be available in sufficient quantity. In many cases, older persons are affected by selective unavailability because of rationing of medical care, i.e. allocation and prioritization of health resources, which often results in de-prioritizing older persons for health treatment. Accessibility includes physical, financial and information components. Older persons may be unable to access health care because of the location of services or their limited physical mobility. Poverty may also exacerbate older persons' inability to access healthcare, particularly where social security does not exist. Finally, information accessibility refers to the right to seek, receive and impart information regarding health issues. With regard to older persons, it means that health-related information should be tailored to suit their needs and communicated to them in an appropriate, comprehensible manner allowing them to make fully informed decisions about their health condition and treatment. | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 14 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | Ageing should be perceived as the culmination of a lifetime of influences and choices. Healthy and active ageing occurs through health promotion and consistent delivery of primary health care throughout one's life. The enjoyment of the right to health is not age-dependent and does not cease once a person reaches a certain age. Older persons should be viewed as rights-holders, who will often require support in order to claim their rights. This requires States to take particular steps as part of the development and implementation of comprehensive health plans that must include various strategies to ensure that older persons have access to good quality health care, goods and services. In addition to this, economic accessibility to ensure affordability is also required by the right to health, which requires that States take steps to ensure that adequate social protection is provided to older persons. The ageing of world population demands that immediate steps be taken to ensure that the costs of pension schemes and their analogues not be prohibitively burdensome for States. Failure to recognize older persons as rights-holders may lead to prejudice and discrimination directed against individuals or groups and may have profound consequences for their health outcomes and welfare. | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 | ||
The realization of the right to health of older persons 2011, para. 5 | Aug 19, 2019 | Paragraph | The world population is ageing at a steady and significant pace. The total number of persons aged 60 years and above increased from 200 million in 1950 to 760 million in 2010, and it is anticipated to become over one billion by the end of the current decade. By 2050, it is expected that one in five persons will be over the age of 60. The senior population is the fastest growing one and this is becoming a global phenomenon. | Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health | Special Procedures' report |
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| 2011 |