On the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance on November 16, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality organized a conference called “Being old, being proud, being yourself” in which the Red Cross of Serbia was one of the participants. The representative of the Red Cross of Serbia, Nataša Todorović, participated in the panel entitled “Who represents the interests of older women?” and moderated this session. Višnja Ljubičić, Ombudsperson for Gender Equality of the Republic of Croatia, Nadežda Satarić, from the organization Amity - Strength of Friendship, Igor Jadrovski, from the Commission for Prevention and Protection against Discrimination of North Macedonia and Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality of the Republic of Serbia, also participated in the panel.

The conclusions of the panel were highlighted by Nataša Todorović from the Red Cross of Serbia. Certainly the first conclusion is that it is difficult to answer the question of who represents the interests of older women. At the panel, it was pointed out once again that women live longer in poorer health, that women live longer in poverty that accumulates over the years, women live longer at greater risk of violence. It could be concluded that the wage gap is reflected in the pension gap, women had to make choices throughout their lives that often meant leaving the labor market, informal, unpaid work. Inequalities accumulate throughout life, so it is necessary to pay attention on the whole life cycle so that older women can live in dignity and not be exposed to multiple discrimination. It is also important to be aware that when it comes to emergency situations and climate change older women are at special risk. Finally: if we want a dignified old age, it is necessary to have aging in all policies.