Mainstreaming ageing is a policy strategy directed towards integrating ageing issues into all relevant policy fields on all levels, which helps to adapt to population ageing and ensure the integration of the needs of all ages groups, including older persons, into the policymaking process.
The Guidelines for Mainstreaming Ageing outline five stages that support countries in establishing a Strategic Framework for Mainstreaming Ageing.
Stage 1 - Getting Started - outlines a number of preparatory activities, including making the case for mainstreaming, securing political commitment, carrying out a stakeholder mapping and analysis and setting up a team to develop the Strategic Framework.
State 2 - Analysis - proposes to carry out a situation analysis and comprehensively take stock of the policy context, data situation and existing mainstreaming mechanisms to identify the gaps.
Stage 3 - Vision and Directions - focuses on identifying the strategic directions for the Framework and supports formulating the vision, goals, objectives and expected outcomes for mainstreaming ageing.
Stage 4 - Identification of Activities - helps defining specific activities to support mainstreaming ageing. Emphasis is put on the importance of instituting a coordination mechanism and selecting implementing partners.
Stage 5 - Monitoring and Evaluation - suggests establishing a mechanism that helps measure and evaluate progress over time and fosters continual adjustment and improvement of mainstreaming efforts.
Each country is unique, given the diversity of national contexts, government structures, levels of decentralisation, traditions and cultures across the UNECE region. The activities suggested under each stage aim to be non-prescriptive and the Guidelines encourage countries to build on existing efforts and processes whenever possible when developing their Strategic Framework for Mainstreaming Ageing.
The Guidelines were developed by the UNECE Standing Working Group on Ageing to support member States in the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA). They were informed by the methodology of UNECE Road Maps for Mainstreaming Ageing and country experiences gained over the past 20 years of MIPAA implementation.
The Guidelines mainly target government staff responsible for the development, coordination and monitoring of ageing-related policies at national and local level.
Executive summary in English, German*, Portuguese*
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(*) Unofficial translations