International Year of Older Persons


In its Proclamation on Aging, the United Nations General Assembly decided to declare 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons. The proclamation was launched on 1 October 1998, the International Day of Older Persons, by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Worldwide, within the next generations, the proportion of the population aged 60 and over will increase from one in four, bringing about significant social, economic and spiritual change. The proclamation was meant to draw attention to the recognition of humanity's demographic coming of age and the promise it holds for maturing attitudes and capabilities in social, economic, cultural and spiritual undertakings, not least for global peace and development in the next century.
Numerous events took place within the UN and in member countries to mark the event.

Theme

With these transformations in mind, the UN chose "towards a society for All Ages" to serve as the theme for IYOP. Throughout the year, participating countries will foster awareness of seniors' roles in society and the need for intergenerational respect and support, emphasizing the fact that older persons are the repository of their societies' histories.
The theme of this International Year, however - Towards a Society for All Ages - elicits the full engagement of all segments of society. It calls for "solidarity", "respect" and "exchanges" between generations. It calls for opportunities to share between the young and the not so young such that each may learn from the other.

History

Since 1959, World Refugee Year, the UN has designated specific years in order to draw attention to important issues. Governments of Member States, assisted by civil society, are encouraged to take the themes as opportunities to raise awareness and promote policy initiatives among citizens.
The work of many UN Agencies and programmes has direct connections with aging issues and will reflect IYOP priorities. That is certainly true for the World Health Organization, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In 1992 the United Nations General Assembly decided, "in recognition of humanity’s demographic coming of age and the promise it holds for maturing attitudes and capabilities in social, economic, cultural and spiritual undertakings, not least for global peace and development in the next century", to declare 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons. The theme of this year is Towards a society for all ages.
At the launching ceremony, the World Health Organization called upon policy-makers to recognise the importance of population ageing and put this recognition into action. In 1999, there were some 580 million people aged 60 years and over in the world. By 2020, this number is estimated to pass over the 1 billion mark. By that time, over 700 million older people will live in developing countries alone. It was therefore indispensable to bring ageing into the development agenda, she emphasized.

United Nations Principles for Older Persons

The underlying framework for the International Year of Older Persons is the International Plan of Action on Aging, the first major international instrument on aging which was endorsed by the General Assembly in 1982.
The subsequent UN Principles for Older Persons, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 1991 may be divided into five different clusters of relevant issues: independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity.
Working within that framework, the focus of this year has been developed into four themes: the situation of older persons, individual lifelong development, relationships between the generations and, finally, the interrelationship of population aging and development.

Independence

In Canada, the Division of Aging and Seniors of Health Canada played a lead role, along with similar offices established in every provincial jurisdiction. There were concerted efforts on the part of many seniors organizations, for whom the year provided a tremendous focal point around which to advance their concerns and aspirations. As a way to commemorate the event, Canada produced a commemorative coin and stamp. Both were designed by Shelagh Armstrong.
CountryYearDenominationManufacturerArtistMintageIssue Price
Canada19991 DollarRoyal Canadian MintS. Armstrong-Hodgins24,976$49.95
Spain1999100 PesetasMadrid Mint60,332,000Face Value

Date of IssueManufacturerThemeArtistDenominationPrinterQuantityPerforation
12 April 1999Canada PostCanada's International Year of Older PersonsS. Armstrong-Hodgins46 centsCanadian Bank Note Company, Limited8,000,00013.5

In 1999, the Royal Australian Mint issued a commemorative one dollar coin celebrating the IYOP.