A/HRC/24/25 Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and four panels, to focus on (a) the main challenges to the full enjoyment of human rights of older persons; (b) age discrimination and ageism; (c) the rights to health, work and social security of older persons; and (d) violence against and abuse and neglect of older persons. Presentations were followed by questions and remarks from Member States, experts from United Nations agencies, representatives of civil society and academic organizations, and other participants. A. Opening session 11. The meeting was opened by the Deputy High Commissioner, who explained the objectives and the modalities of the public consultation. She highlighted the paradox between the growth in the number and proportion of older persons in society – an indicator of successful measures enabling a longer average life expectancy – and regular reports that reveal the rise of discrimination against and neglect, exclusion and abuse of older persons. She emphasized that, despite existing protection regimes and national legislation, the situation reflected a failure to pay sufficient attention to the protection of the rights of older persons. She also stressed that the efforts of the international community had not been sufficient to ensure the full enjoyment of the whole spectrum of human rights by older persons. 12. The Deputy High Commissioner expressed her satisfaction with the fact that the Human Rights Council has put the issue of the human rights of older persons on its agenda by means of resolution 21/23, and welcomed the public consultation as the first activity specifically organized under that new agenda item. 13. She reminded participants that, according to resolution 21/23, the purpose of the public consultation was to receive information and to share good practices on the matter. This process should be seen as complementary to the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing established by the General Assembly in its resolution 65/182. B. Challenges for the protection and promotion of the rights of older persons 14. The panel discussion on challenges for the protection and promotion of the rights of older persons was moderated by the Chief of the Development and Economic and Social Issues Branch of OHCHR, and included presentations by the Director of the Geneva Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Virginia Bras Gomes, a member of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Director for the National Policy on Older Persons, Ministry of Social Development of Argentina, Monica Roque. 15. The Director of the Geneva Office of UNFPA underlined the significance of the awareness of the Human Rights Council and Governments about the human rights of older persons. UNFPA had contributed to the discussion through a landmark report entitled “Ageing in the Twenty-first Century: A Celebration and A Challenge”. In her view, three main messages had to be conveyed. First, the world population was quickly becoming much older and developing countries would soon be ageing the fastest; second, population ageing was an opportunity that also presented huge challenges; and third, ageing was not an issue for the future, but for the present. If States did not act now, they would fail to seize the opportunities to overcome the challenges presented by this huge demographic shift. 16. The UNFPA Director highlighted the importance of ageing as a demographic trend throughout the world: in 1950, there were 205 million people aged 60 or over; today, the number had nearly quadrupled to 810 million (equivalent to 11 per cent of the world population). By 2050, older persons would outnumber those under 15 and would account 5