Thank your Madam Chair,
At the outset, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and members of the Bureau for the skilled and successful conduct of this Working Group, says a press release received here today from New York.
We are confident that this year’s session would be a productive one and will give us an overview of various approaches and perspectives on dealing with the issue of ageing.
Madam Chair,
Since the last Session of the Working Group in 2021, the world has been and continues to be profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic has seriously affected the lives of many groups, the impact on older persons has been particularly devastating.
Older persons have shown a greater susceptibility to severe cases of infection and have represented the overwhelming proportion of lives lost. However, the impact has gone well beyond this and has highlighted the existence of ageist structures, attitudes and practices and their very real consequences for the enjoyment of human rights by older persons.
Madam Chair,
The Government of Pakistan places special emphasis on policy interventions targeted towards raising awareness of the special needs and specific vulnerabilities of the elderly, with advice and guidelines for ensuring their protection, safety, comfort, and well-being.
Madam Chair,
Despite the country’s “youth bulge” and a high proportion of young population, we fully recognizes the importance of raising awareness of the special needs of older persons, as well as their contribution to the functioning of the societies in which they live.
The Senior Citizens Act 2021 envisages instituting essential protections to ensure that the elderly live a meaningful life, and to limit barriers that prevent their full participation in society.
It stipulates the setting up of a Senior Citizen Council to formulate policy proposals and the establishment of old age homes for the indigent, deserted and homeless among the elderly. The senior citizen cards give them free access to museums, parks and libraries. Senior citizens are also be entitled to concessions in medical and dental services and diagnostic and laboratory facilities, as well as to subsidised medicines.
Separately, the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Sindh and Balochistan have also enacted legislation for senior citizens.
Madam Chair,
We recognize the need, urgency and way forward in dealing with this very important issue at the global level.
Despite the differences of views on the way forward there is a genuine desire to understand and address the concerns relating to discrimination against and promotion and protection of the rights of the older persons.
We believe that discussions held during this Session would provide due guidance in formulating and crystallizing different options from the perspective of their applicability, utility and comprehensiveness.
We therefore, look forward to receiving the summary of the discussions held during this Working Group.
My delegation is sympathetic to the view of crafting a Convention on the subject. However, the counter view which underlines the need to first identifying gaps in the process in order to find appropriate solutions is also important and merits our careful consideration.
Guided by the common desire to ensure the best for this respected segment of our society, we must move forward in accordance with our national and developmental priorities, and ensure that the rights of older people as equal members of the society are promoted and protected at all times.
In conclusion, we reiterate the assurance of our constructive engagement and support in carrying forward the work of this Working Group.
Thank you.
