Rosa Kornfeld-Matte’s recent article excited and inspired those of us working in the field of human rights for older people. The fact that such high level conversations on ageing are being held among UN member states provides the basis to implement appropriate frameworks that strengthen the rights and autonomy of older persons. In fact, at the 26th Summit of the African Heads of State and Government on January 30, 2016, we saw a major breakthrough: African governments finally adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the rights of older persons. This was after almost eight years of drafting and redrafting, lobbying, negotiations and pushing for the recognition of the human rights of older people.
This protocol represents the highest level of political commitment from African leaders in promoting and protecting the rights of older people. It is one of the few decisions on older people taken by the AU since the adoption of the African Union Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing (2002), another critical milestone in the ageing agenda.
Among the many key issues, the protocol urges member states to adopt legislative or other institutional measures to ensure that older people enjoy full rights, duties and freedoms as agreed in the protocol. It urges member states to combat all forms of discrimination and violence, to ensure access to justice and equal protection before the law, and to protect the right to income in the form of pension or other social protection measures, as well as a number of other fundamental rights.
