A/HRC/27/46
I. Introduction
1.
The present report is submitted by the first Independent Expert on the enjoyment of
all human rights by older persons, Rosa Kornfeld-Matte, to the Human Rights Council
pursuant to its resolution 24/20 of 27 September 2013. In the report, the Independent Expert
describes the activities undertaken from 2 June to 28 July 2014, and provides her
preliminary considerations concerning the foundation and context of the mandate, as well
as some considerations that will inform her work during the mandate.
II. Mandate-related activities
2.
Since assuming her functions on 2 June 2014, the Independent Expert has engaged
in consultations with a large number of experts and civil society organizations, exchanging
views about priorities and strategies for fulfilling the mandate, including HelpAge and the
Centro Latinoamericano de Políticas Económicas y Sociales of the Pontifical Catholic
University of Chile.
3.
On 2 and 3 June 2014, the Independent Expert addressed the International
Association of Universities of the elderly in Toulouse, France. She furthermore accepted an
invitation, on 10 July 2014, to share her views and expertise on pension reform in Chile
with the Presidential Commission for the Study of Social Security Reform.
4.
As part of the mandate, the Independent Expert was requested to work in close
coordination, while avoiding unnecessary duplication, with the Open-ended Working
Group on Ageing. At the time of submission, the Independent Expert had confirmed her
participation in the upcoming fifth session of the Working Group, scheduled for 30 July to
1 August 2014 in New York. The Working Group will, inter alia, discuss measures to
strengthen the promotion and protection of the rights of older persons, which are currently
not addressed sufficiently, in particular in the areas of care for older persons, violence and
abuse against older persons, and legal and financial issues in relation to the planning for
end-of-life care. The Independent Expert will moderate a panel on recent developments.
The Working Group will also hold a dialogue on how to strengthen the rights of older
persons through enhanced implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on
Ageing, and discuss the post-2015 development agenda and older persons.
5.
Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 24/25, the 2014 Social Forum focused
on the rights of older persons, including best practices in this regard. While the Forum,
which was held from 1 to 3 April 2014, was held before the appointment of the Independent
Expert, the importance of the mandate and the future activities of the mandate holder
permeated the deliberations. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) participated in a number of panel discussions, in particular in the
discussion on the theme “the universal human rights system: new opportunities for
participation”, at which it informed the participants that the Independent Expert could help
to advance international standards on older persons, and would aim to (a) assess existing
laws; (b) investigate the views of stakeholders; and (c) take a gender/disability perspective.
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