At the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Health, Social Protection and Consumer Protection of the Republic of Austria, representatives of the Red Cross of Serbia Nataša Todorović and dr. Milutin Vračević participated in the “International Conference on Human Rights of Older Persons”. The conference was held in Vienna, Austria from 29 November to 1 December 2023. Ministers and state secretaries of Austria, Slovenia, Brazil, Portugal, Armenia, Moldova and China took part in the conference. There were also representatives of Australia, Germany, Canada and Great Britain, as well as representatives of civil society organizations and academia. The conference was also attended by Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.

On the first day of the conference, the first session was a discussion on the Declaration. Even here at this conference, it was evident that there was a need to soften the language so that it would be more acceptable to member states not yet supporting the New United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons and that the Declaration would be useful for advocacy at next year's meeting of the Open Ended Working Group on Ageing in New York. The Declaration was adopted at the final session on the second day, the final version is available here.

This first part was followed by two panel discussions involving civil society organizations, which made a very strong case for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. There were no government representatives on these panels.

Nataša Todorović took part in the second panel entitled “Rights, Challenges, and Solutions for Older Persons” with the topic “Social disadvantage due to COVID-19”. At the panel, the expert associate of the Red Cross of Serbia presented research on long-term care in the Western Balkans. “Social disadvantages in older age increase the need for support, they are often the result of inequalities accumulated over the life course, as well as the influence of various factors that intersect and reinforce each other, thus contributing to dignified aging. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This important document represents humanity's hope and commitment to respecting the basic rights and freedoms to which all individuals are entitled. Today we celebrate the achievements of this document, while at the same time we are focused and dedicated to the work ahead: there is one “forgotten convention”: the Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons. Now is the time”. Pradep Vagle from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights took part in the same panel, and confirmed that the meeting of experts required by Resolution 54/13 was planned and that civil society was seen as a key party in that process.

Panel discussions on the second day included state representatives who shared information about their national context – some of which directly focused on the human rights of older persons. Most said they support the move towards a new United Nations convention (some support it very strongly, e.g. Slovenia and Austria). Brazil and Portugal are clear that they support the Convention, but now they need to be cautious and a little more neutral at this point in their roles as co-facilitators.

The proposed next steps/opportunities are to talk to co-facilitators Argentina, Brazil and Portugal before the meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing in March 2024 in New York, which will be vital for the further negotiation process towards the New United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.

From the very beginning of the process, the Red Cross of Serbia has been contributing to advocacy for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons, and this conference was also an opportunity for a short meeting with Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.