UN Committed to Promoting Welfare, Inclusion of Older Persons, Says Muhammad-Bande
President of the UN General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande says the global body is committed to promoting the welfare of the ordinary people, especially older people in the society.
Muhammad-Bande said this while speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, in response to a question on the legacy he hopes to leave after his one year tenure as the President of the UN General Assembly.
“I think for us it’s not an issue just of legacy. I think we will continue to the very last day to do what is right in relation to what we’ve said we are going to do whether they make the headlines or not.
“We want to make sure we do things that really affect ordinary people. This is what is important for us really. We just want to make sure we use the opportunity, the privilege given us. We will do everything in our power to promote that.
“We have gotten a lot of support I can tell you from Nigeria and from other countries.
“In fact all countries have supported us and we will do our best to push forward the agenda of inclusion, climate change, quality education, and poverty eradication,” he said.
According to MuhammadBande, it is unfortunate that elderly people are often overlooked and as an intricate part of the United Nations goal on inclusion, the discourse is of necessity.
“I think it’s part of a broader conversation concerning categories of individuals that are usually excluded.
“The aged suffer a certain form of disconnection.
“With the UN pushing the idea of leaving no one behind, it’s important to look at those segments of society that are at times overlooked and they have challenges that are unique to them. The exclusion of the aged is an issue.
“Certainly in some states there are efforts even in Nigeria to give support to the elderly.
“It is an African conversation in which NGOs are also involved in West Africa and other parts of Africa also.
“It is an issue concerning inclusion of categories of individuals who have been overlooked and they have real needs for support,” he added.
According to the UN, On average, the poverty level for persons among the over-75 years of age, across countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is 14.7 per cent, which is 3.5 per cent higher than the poverty level among 66 to 75 year-olds.
The “oldest-old”, aged 80 years or over, are less able to work than younger older persons; are more likely to have spent their savings; and are most in need of age-appropriate health and long-term personal care services.