UN urges respect for rights,
dignity of elderly during Covid-19
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| An elderly woman infected with Covid-19 meeting her son at an old home in Belgium (AFP) |
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on May 1 launched a
new policy initiative addressing the challenges faced by the elderly during and
after the pandemic.
By Robin Gomes
Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold fear and
suffering for older people across the world, UN Secretary-General António
Guterres appealed that humanity’s response to the virus includes respect for
the rights and dignity of older people.
High Covid-19 risk for over-80
“The fatality rate for older people is higher overall, and
for those over 80, it is five times the global average,” he noted in a video
message for the launch of a UN policy brief entitled, “The Impact of COVID-19
on older persons”.
A report by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) in
early April pointed out that in the world’s top 30 countries with the largest
percentage of older people, over 95% of Covid-19 deaths occurred among those
older than 60 years. More than 50% of all fatalities involved people aged 80
years or older.
Guterres noted that beyond its immediate health impact, “the
pandemic is putting older people at greater risk of poverty, discrimination and
isolation, with a particularly devastating impact on older people in developing
countries”.
At age 70, the UN chief has the responsibility of caring for
an even older mother. Hence he is “deeply concerned about the pandemic on a
personal level" and its effects on communities and societies.
The UN policy brief launched on May 1, he said, provides
analysis and recommendations to address these challenges. It has four main
messages.
Respect for rights and dignity of all
Firstly, “no person, young or old, is expendable”, Guterres
stressed in his message, adding, “older people have the same rights to life and
health as everyone else”. “Difficult decisions around life-saving medical care
must respect the human rights and dignity of all.”
Secondly, while physical distancing is crucial in fighting
the contagion, they need “improved social support and smarter efforts to reach
older people through digital technology”.
The policy brief urged that “all social, economic and
humanitarian responses” take the needs of older people fully into account -
from universal health coverage to social protection, decent work and
pensions.
Most of the elderly are women
The UN chief pointed out that the “majority of older people
are women, who are more likely to enter this period of their lives in poverty
and without access to health care”. Hence, “policies must be targeted at
meeting their needs”.
Lastly, the policy brief urged that older people not be
treated as “invisible or powerless”. In this regard, Guterres pointed that out
that “many older people depend on an income and are fully engaged in work, in
family life, in teaching and learning, and in looking after others”. Hence,
their voices and leadership count.
Everyone's solidarity is needed
The UN Secretary-General called for a “surge in global and
national solidarity”, encouraging all, including the elderly, to contribute, in
order to create “more inclusive, sustainable and age-friendly societies that
are fit for the future”.
According to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks the
Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, over 3.5 million people have been reported
infected by the virus since the first cases were detected in China in December.
Meanwhile, the global death toll is nearing a quarter of a million.
Italy, the first country in the world to impose a nationwide
lockdown due to the pandemic, began easing some of the restrictions on Monday,
after a month and three weeks. (Source: UN)
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