23 May 1986

19th plenary meeting

Elderly women

The Economic and Social Council,

Mindful of the International Plan of Action on Aging adopted by the World Assembly on Aging, in which it is indicated that women will increasingly constitute a majority of the older population and that gender-based differences in longevity have implications for living arrangements, income, health care and other support needs,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 37/51 of 3 December 1982, in which the Assembly endorsed the International Plan of Action on Aging,

Commending the report of the Secretary-General on the question of elderly women, prepared in response to Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/13 of 24 May 1984, which documents the increasing number of elderly women and the challenges faced in addressing their needs,

Noting with appreciation the work of non-governmental organizations on behalf of and with the elderly, as well as the statement submitted by a broad group of non-governmental organizations to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-first session,

Noting with concern the continued undeserved and cumulative vulnerability of elderly women in a number of developed and developing countries,

Stressing the need for effective long-term policies and programmes to prepare women and men equally for a secure and dignified old age,

Reaffirming the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 286, which iterates specific concerns and needs of elderly women,

Further reaffirming the need to implement the Forward-looking Strategies in a timely, effective manner,

1. Recommends that Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and concerned intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations should effectively harmonize the essential features of the International Plan of Action on Aging with the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, on behalf of elderly women, to ensure their economic and social security and to promote systems of social support and primary health care appropriate to their needs;

2. Further recommends that elderly women should be accorded a respected role in society which would reduce their isolation and permit their full participation in society, including participation in the development of policies and programmes that affect their well-being;

3. Urges the Secretary-General to ensure that in all future reports on the question of aging data are presented and analysed by sex and age cohorts, and that information is included on the needs and risks of the very elderly, most of whom are women, and the most disadvantaged among elderly women;

4. Recommends that the Secretary-General should encourage the exchange of information, knowledge and experience and that he should report on successful measures in both the developing and the developed countries in meeting the economic and social, health and cultural needs of elderly women and in reducing the risks to which they are exposed;

5. Calls upon the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to compile relevant data and prepare appropriate strategies for the development and improvement of reporting systems to permit monitoring and comparison of the condition of elderly women with that of elderly men and younger women and, in time, better appraisal of the impact of various circumstances, policies and programmes on the status of elderly women.