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Geneva, 13 September 2002
Ministerial Conference Adopts the Berlin Ministerial Declaration
- A Society for all Ages
in the UNECE Region and a Regional Implementation
Strategy
(Berlin, Germany, 11-13 September 2002)
On 13 September 2002, during its concluding session, the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Ministerial Conference on Ageing, organized
in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens,
Women and Youth of Germany, adopted two documents: The Berlin Ministerial Declaration
- A Society for all Ages in the UNECE Region, and the Regional Implementation
Strategy for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing 2002.
In
her concluding remarks, Dr. Christine Bergmann, Federal Minister for Family Affairs,
Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, emphasized: "We must deal with the challenges
and opportunities of demographic changes in time.
Demographic change affects
all spheres of society as well as the economy, and population ageing concerns
all our countries. The joint political strategy for our region, which we adopted
today, is a further step towards a society fit for old age throughout the whole
of Europe, Central Asia and North America."
Commenting on the Regional
Implementation Strategy Mrs. Brigita Schmögnerová, UNECE Executive
Secretary stressed that: "The overall approach of the Strategy is praiseworthy:
it is holistic, all-inclusive and multifaceted, just to mention a few of its attributes."
She further added that "As the numbers and proportions of older persons continue
to rise, the Strategy rightly places ample emphasis on this group. Older persons
are recognised as a valuable resource, who make essential contributions to families,
communities and societies."
In their Declaration Ministers inter alia
recognise that the UNECE region is experiencing unprecedented demographic changes
and has the highest proportion of older persons. These changes are the result
of a profound socio-economic transformation, they pose multiple challenges and
provide numerous opportunities for our societies. Ministers further stress that
they have a responsibility, in collaboration with all relevant actors of civil
society and the private sector, to seize these opportunities and fully respond
to these challenges.
They are also convinced that putting into effect the
Regional Implementation Strategy is the best way of implementing the Madrid International
Plan of Action on Ageing 2002 in the UNECE region and, therefore, they will spare
no effort at achieving this objective.
The Regional Implementation Strategy
(RIS) adopted by the Conference includes ten commitments, namely:
For further information,
please contact:
Ref: ECE/GEN/02/25