The International Plan of Action on Ageing,1 adopted at the first World
Assembly on Ageing in Vienna, has guided the course of thinking and action on
ageing over the past 20 years, as crucial policies and initiatives evolved.Issues of
human rights for older persons were taken up in 1991 in the formulation of the
United Nations Principles for Older Persons,2 which provided guidance in the areas
of independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity.This demographic triumph and the fast growth of the
population in the first half of the twenty-first century mean that the number of
persons over 60 will increase from about 600 million in 2000 to almost 2 billion in
2050 and the proportion of persons defined as older is projected to increase globally
from 10 per cent in 1998 to 15 per cent in 2025.In certain developed countries
and countries with economies in transition, the number of older persons already exceeds the number of children and birth rates have fallen below replacement levels.In Asia and Latin America, the proportion of
persons classified as older will increase from 8 to 15 per cent between 1998 and
2025, although in Africa the proportion is only expected to grow from 5 to 6 per
cent during the period but then doubling by 2050.In sub-Saharan Africa, where the
struggle with the HIV/AIDS pandemic and with economic and social hardship
continues, the percentage will reach half that level.Every facet of humanity will
evolve: social, economic, political, cultural, psychological and spiritual.2.3.