Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Joint Sub-Committee on Human Rights relative to Justice and Equality Matters

UN Convention on the Rights of Older People: Discussion

10:00 am

Ms Bridget Sleap:

Certainly we could also look to some of the work at a regional level that is being done. An inter-American convention on the promotion of the human rights of older persons was adopted this year and a draft protocol to the African charter on human and people's rights is up for adoption in January. It is interesting that we can look at those to get a sense of what some of the substantive content might look like and also at the UN open-ended working group. There is a mix of standards in other international treaties and how they specifically apply in the context of older age and specific measures that states could take to meet their obligations. That is specific articulation. The area of elder abuse has already been discussed. There is also the right to palliative care and long-term care. These areas of rights that are, perhaps, unique or particular to older age have not been articulated elsewhere but are generated from our interpretation of other rights such as the right to health, social security and social protection.

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