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The world needs to protect the human rights of the elderly, said the Holy See's observer to the United Nations in a speech Wednesday, September 17, at a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
Societies, said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, are not prepared for the age demographics of the world to shift towards the elderly.
Five years from now, in 2030, about 1.4 billion people will be over the age of 60, said Balestrero. That number is projected to double by 2050.
More than just a shift in demographics, the coming changes will be "a moral test of how societies value and care for their elders," he said.
Shift resources
The elderly population will need to be treated with dignity despite their age and fragility, said Balestrero, and populations will have to shift resources to support both younger people and the elderly. The elderly, he said, cannot and should not lose out on these resources due to their age or health problems.
“A person’s worth cannot be defined by youth, efficiency, physical vigor, or perfect health, because it lies in the unchanging truth that each person is created in the image and likeness of God, a fact that cannot be erased by time itself,” he said.
Balestrero said that a prevailing "throw-away" mindset, in a "culture of death" means that the elderly are viewed as a burden or less-worthy, as they are not able to contribute to society in the same way a younger person is able to.
The archbishop suggested that countries enact policies such as pensions, cash benefits, healthcare services, and a social safety net to help preserve the dignity of older people, especially women. Labor policies, he added, should protect the elderly from discrimination if they are still in the workforce.
“They are denied the rest they deserve and the opportunity to pass on their wisdom and advice to the younger generations, enabling them to face the future with hope and responsibility,” he said.
The Holy See, said Balestrero, “calls for greater investment in social protection policies that support families, in order to strengthen and safeguard the family as the enduring foundation of human society.”
This means that there should be "intergenerational solidarity" in order to preserve social security systems and strong families.
