A/HRC/33/44 M. Awareness-raising and research 83. Many States conduct awareness-raising activities, some of which focus on ageing in general to promote a positive attitude towards older persons, or on specific issues such as age discrimination. They may target the general public, specific groups, for instance civil servants or caregivers, or older persons themselves. Such activities may take various forms, such as media campaigns, courses, workshops, conferences, forums, awards, call centres or publications. In addition, raising awareness about ageing and human rights in primary schools will promote intergenerational solidarity. 84. Sensitizing public service staff seeks to emphasize the obligations of civil servants as guarantors of human rights and to promote a culture of good treatment, which will ensure that manifestations of violence and discrimination are detected and reported and that support is provided to victims. 85. Several States have developed training or information materials for older persons to raise their awareness about their specific rights and about healthy and active ageing, in order to encourage them to participate in the cultural, economic, political and social life of their communities. Some States have developed a self-advocacy online handbook designed to increase and improve the involvement of older persons in all processes that affect their human rights. The establishment of self-help groups is also useful to educate older persons about their human rights. 86. The collection of traditional knowledge contributes to fostering positive attitudes towards older persons as bearers of ancestral local knowledge that is at risk of being lost and that needs to be transferred to younger generations. Such knowledge includes traditional medicine, agricultural techniques, history, food, customs and legends, music and instruments. In some instances, local authorities are charged with recording that cultural heritage and in other circumstances, social workers, civil society or older persons themselves are involved. 87. Some countries have conducted extensive research on the situation of older persons as a first step in the development of a national policy or strategy to identify the challenges faced by older persons, their needs and preferences, as well as to monitor the implications of implementing the policies or strategies. Important sources of information are national and departmental statistics, existing social surveys and political analyses, as well as the views of experts, academics and opinion leaders. 88. The creation of partnerships between national and local authorities, the public and private sectors, academia, civil society and older persons themselves may, through crossfertilization, generate innovation-based solutions and approaches to active and healthy ageing. V. Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002: human rights implications assessment A. Background 89. The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002, as the global aspirational policy document on ageing, was adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing, held in Madrid in 2002 in order to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the twenty-first century. The Madrid Plan of Action addresses ageing issues from a developmental perspective, but also, for the first time, links ageing to other frameworks such as human rights. GE.16-11742 15