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OUR LIFE Monthly, published by Ukrainian National Women's League of America VOL. XLIX __________________________ NOVEMBER 1998 __________ Editor: TAMARA STADNYCHENKO 1999: IN TER N ATIO N AL YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS by Iryna Kurowyckyj The United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 47/5, determined that 1999 would be observed as the International Year of Older Persons 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 undertaking for global peace and development in the next century." In the same resolution is a proposal that "the entire population" be engaged "in preparing for later stages in life, and that the older and younger generations cooperate in creating a balance between tradition and innovation in economic, social and cultural development". The theme for the year is "Towards a Society for All Ages". During the year nations should increase awareness about aging societies and should formulate policies and programs to promote the well being of older persons. Each should establish a national focal point for the year. With declining mortality and improving health and hygiene, more people are living longer. This is the age of longevity. The total population will have grown by a factor of little more than three, the elderly will have grown by a factor of six, and the "old" by a factor of ten. With these statistics, one has to age successfully, and to ensure successful aging for its citizens, every country needs to adjust its policies and programs for housing and physical infrastructure, health and hygiene, income security and employment, education and training, social welfare and the family. The UN has encouraged governments to incorporate these principles into their national programs whenever possible, proposing the following guidelines: that older persons should have independence, should be able to participate in and remain an integral part of our society, should have care and benefit from family and community care, should have opportunities for the full development of their potential, and should be able to live in dignity and security and free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse. A broader focus must be given to training as well as to media coverage of the complexities and challenges of aging. The aging of populations is now a reality, and that invites fresh thinking, not only along practical lines, but also with regard to the intrinsic value of life's many stages from infancy through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood to old age. Old age encompasses the experiences of earlier years. It is a time for integrating those experiences and for encouraging younger generations. It is a time for enjoying family community and solidarity, especially when illness or frailty impedes an active role in society. The United Nations first took up the question of aging in 1948 when Argentina presented a draft declaration of old-age rights to the General Assembly. At that time it was not evident that the aging population in both the developed and developing countries would come to constitute such a substantial proportion of human society. The question was again raised in the General Assembly in 1968. It was followed up through the 1970s and, in 1982, led to the convening in Vienna of the World Assembly on Aging. In launching the 1999 International Year of Older Persons on October 1, 1998 at the Eighth Annual Commemoration of the International Day of Older Persons, the Secretary General said that we live in an age to which many labels have been attached: it is the post-Cold-War age, the post-industrial age, the age of the Internet, the age of globalization. It is also the age of longevity. Longevity requires wise investment in the earlier phases of life, in childhood and youth, when both self-reliance and interdependence are acquired, and in adulthood, when stores of capital are built up, not only economic capital, but the human capital of skills and self-knowledge, and the social capital of trust and collaboration. The older population is aging and that changes the family structure. The traditional pyramid in which there are many youths and few elders is giving way to the opposite: an inverse pyramid of one child, two parents, four grandparents and several great-grandparents. Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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