A/HRC/39/50 addition, when faced with gentrification, older persons experience increasing costs and are at greater risk of poverty and exclusion. 56. The distribution of pensions and other cash transfers must not tie older persons to a single locality, as this could lead to further social exclusion, including in the context of gentrification. 20 In developing countries, older persons may have to travel for hours to receive their pensions. Ensuring that benefits are distributed at reasonable geographic locations is an integral part of accessibility. Modern alternatives (such as e- and mobile payments) for the distribution of old-age pensions are now deployed in several developing countries, but are not yet the norm. Due consideration has to be given to the accessibility of older persons, bearing in mind challenges relating to information technology literacy rates. 57. There is a need to overcome the burden-discourse and the stereotyping of older persons that also contribute to sociocultural exclusion. Social protection systems may act as economic stabilizers in critical periods and can have positive repercussions on local economies. 3. Right to work 58. Participation in the labour market enhances the self-esteem of older persons, their social inclusion and their financial security. The right of older persons to work includes the right to choose one’s employment, the right to work in decent conditions and the right to be protected from unemployment (article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). States must abstain from the adoption of measures that interfere with the right of older persons to work. They have an obligation to sustain working opportunities for the older population and should also empower older persons to participate in the economic life of their communities by offering training and opportunities for employment and good working conditions. In addition, they should provide unemployment programmes and adequate means of social protection. 59. Countries with inadequate non-contributory pension coverage, prohibitive age qualification thresholds, low-value pensions and high levels of informal employment are likely to have significant proportions of older persons working. 21 As the employment of children and young people in developing countries declines, families depend more and more on the work of older persons. 22 Owing to inadequate social protection systems, older persons are required to work to supplement their pension income. However, as a result of age discrimination, they have to take up low-paid, low-status informal jobs that are not linked to retirement benefits (A/67/188).23 These include, for example, working as security for shops, blocks of apartments or factories and as street vendors, domestic workers, builders, etc. Women are even more disadvantaged in terms of formal job opportunities. 60. Mandatory retirement ages and age discrimination in recruitment procedures prevent older persons from finding jobs and continuing working, and may further social exclusion.24 Older persons have a right to decide whether they want to work and what job is suitable for them. They should neither be forced to work nor to retire, but real choice is often impossible owing to barriers in law, lack of employment opportunities, the unavailability of pensions and the absence of support and reasonable adaptations for older workers. Women tend to be more disadvantaged with regard to formal and informal job opportunities because they have had limited access to education, land and other assets throughout their lives. As a result, older persons may end up doing demeaning and physically demanding work in extremely precarious conditions, or are unable to work and end up being deprived of essential goods and services. 20 21 22 23 24 HelpAge International, Investing in an Ageing World: Shifting Debates from Costs to Investments (London, HelpAge International, 2017). Ibid., p. 92. See Claudia Martin, Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón and Bethany Brown, Human Rights of Older People. Universal and Regional Perspectives (Springer Netherlands, 2015). See also HelpAge International, “Ageing and the city: making urban spaces work for older people” (2016). See Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 6. 13