A/HRC/41/32 particular emphasis on institutional care. The project was implemented with support from the European Commission and included an overview of the human rights concerns identified through monitoring work as part of a pilot project in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania and Romania, in particular with regard to the upholding of dignity, the right to privacy, autonomy and participation and access to justice. In its findings, the Network highlighted, in particular, the challenges individuals faced in having their choices respected in terms of where to receive long-term care, in having their legal capacity respected and in gaining access to services. In an analysis carried out by the Network, it was also highlighted that international human rights standards did not provide older persons with an explicit right to long-term care and that there was a lack of clarity regarding the obligations of private for-profit and non-profit providers of long-term care. IV. Conclusions 53. With their skills and experience built over a lifetime, older persons have the potential to make significant contributions to society and the economy, both as individuals and through their families and communities. Technical cooperation and capacity-building play a critical role in enabling older persons to continue to contribute to society and in fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind set out in the 2030 Agenda. 54. Many more efforts are necessary to further mainstream the human rights of older persons into the United Nations system and raise the visibility of those rights within the system in order to provide more coherent and coordinated support. The findings of the present report indicate the need for a specific guidance and capacitybuilding tool to integrate the human rights of older persons into the operational activities of the United Nations system. A human rights-based approach would require a fundamental shift in the viewing of older persons as rights holders and active agents of change, rather than simply as vulnerable populations who need assistance and support. 55. Further elaborating on existing norms and standards and developing new standards to address specific gaps in the protection of older persons are critical in order to enhance technical cooperation activities on the human rights of older persons. Further progress is required, inter alia, in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing to fulfil its mandate, as contained in General Assembly resolutions 65/182 and 67/139, and far greater attention needs to be paid in the context of the international human rights mechanisms, namely, the treaty bodies, the special procedures of the Human Rights Council and the universal periodic review, to the particular challenges faced by older persons. Specific recommendations and further normative guidance from those mechanisms concerning the human rights of older persons would provide entry points and guide technical cooperation among States and relevant United Nations system entities and other stakeholders. As a result, States and other stakeholders would be required to more systematically monitor and report on the situation of older persons to international human rights mechanisms and as part of the monitoring and review processes of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. 56. The present report highlights the role of the United Nations system in facilitating the sharing of experience among countries, including through South-South and triangular cooperation, in addressing the challenges faced by and gaps in the protection of older persons. The United Nations country teams and agencies can further exercise their convening power to bring together stakeholders at the country and local levels and to make their normative and technical expertise available, including through the use of new technologies and innovative approaches, in order to enhance partnerships and support. 57. Lastly, ensuring the meaningful participation of older persons in the design and implementation of technical cooperation and capacity-building will be essential in supporting their autonomy and independence and contributing to the effective and 14