A/HRC/39/50 11. On 17 and 18 April, the Independent Expert participated in an expert round table on palliative care for older persons hosted by the International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care, at which she gave a keynote address on the theme of “Leaving no one behind: palliative care for older persons in the 2030 Agenda”. She provided an overview of the global demographic dynamics, with a focus on the situation in Latin America, and the current state of international human rights law. She outlined the global progress made since she assumed her mandate and the existing protection gaps in general and with regard to care models for older persons. 12. The Independent Expert would like to express her appreciation to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the opportunity to contribute, both individually and jointly, with a group of non-governmental organizations, to the draft global compact on refugees, focusing, inter alia, on the need for disaggregated data and for recognizing and catering for the specific needs of older persons affected by forced displacement. 13. On 11 June 2018, the Independent Expert participated as speaker in two panel discussions during an intersessional seminar on the protection of the family and human rights of older persons, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 35/13. Outlining the international framework for the protection of the family and human rights of older persons, the Independent Expert stressed that the assistance and support provided by family members and communities could not substitute for the obligation of States to promote and protect all human rights of older persons. She also made concrete and solutions-oriented recommendations for greater protection of the family and the human rights of older persons in the light of the radical changes some societies are undergoing, such as changes in family patterns or lifestyles, as well as challenges related to migration and urbanization and the progressive erosion of the traditional multigenerational family setting, which leaves more and more older persons without a family and therefore without care. In particular, she stressed the need for home care services and other forms of alternative care support, targeted and non-contributive social protection systems and public awareness campaigns to counter stereotypes about older persons, which are among the root causes of violence against and maltreatment and abuse of older persons, which often occur in the family setting. 14. The Independent Expert has identified elder abuse as a priority area for her mandate and has continued to undertake targeted activities in this area. In a statement to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15 June 2018, she drew attention to the fact that many older persons are at risk of being abused by their own relatives or those they trust. Financial abuse of older persons is rampant but largely invisible. She stressed that the older person’s best interests had to be the overriding consideration when differentiating between a transfer of assets made with consent and an abusive one, and noted that financial abuse reflected a pattern of behaviour rather than a single event, and typically occurred over a period of time. She called on everyone to report suspected cases of abuse of older persons, as this was one of the few ways to stop financial abuse. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Independent Expert also issued a press statement to raise awareness of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. 15. The Independent Expert also contributed to a side event on the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on the theme of “Violence, abuse and neglect of older persons: a violation of human rights”, which was co-organized by OHCHR, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Group of Friends of the Human Rights of Older Persons and the NGO Committee on Ageing, Geneva. In preparation for the discussion at the upcoming session of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, in her message the Independent Expert focused on how different forms of violence, abuse and neglect had a direct impact on the denial of autonomy and a good standard of care. 16. At the time of the submission of the present report, the Independent Expert was also scheduled to participate, in accordance with her mandate, at the ninth session of the Openended Working Group on Ageing, to be held in New York from 23 to 26 July. The Independent Expert will contribute to the two focus areas of the session, namely autonomy and independence and long-term and palliative care in the context of measures to enhance the promotion and protection of the human rights and dignity of older persons. 5