The NHRCK hosted the meeting of the GANHRI Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons and discussed ways to develop a GANHRI position paper and advocacy tool to protect the rights of older persons
On December 14, 2023, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Chairperson Doohwan Song) hosted the 2023 Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) Working Group on Ageing and the Rights of Older Persons (WG on HROP) which was held Online.
The GANHRI WG on HROP member (six national human rights institutions, including Poland and the Philippines) and GANHRI Head Office, 27 participants attended the meeting, including observers from Slovakia, Thailand, Malaysia and Ethiopia, demonstrating their strong interest in the human rights of older persons.
The participants in the meeting discussed how to develop the position paper and advocacy tools. The main idea was to first conduct a survey to understand the current status of NHRIs in advocating for the rights of older persons domestically, regionally and internationally. Based on the results, the GANHRI WG HROP will draft the position paper and advocacy tool for all GANHRI members to better engage in protecting and promoting the human rights of older persons, including advocating for a legally binding convention on older persons. Consultation with all NHRIs will follow before submission to the next Bureau meeting.
The content of the 13th session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA), held at UN Headquarters in April this year, and the activities of the participating working groups were also shared. In addition, the member of GANHRI WG HROP exchanged with each other the work they have carried out to promote the rights of older persons in their respective locations.
Doohwan Song, Chairperson of the GANHRI WG HROP, said, "As the national human rights institutions participating in the GANHRI Bureau meeting in November recognized the need to strengthen the human rights protection of older persons through the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons, it is necessary for national human rights institutions around the world to actively participate in the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
