Activities

a - Daichman, LS et al, published Chapter on” Elder Abuse” in the International Encyclopedia of Public Health, Vol 2.San Diego: Academic Press; 2008.-pp.310-315, by Elsevier.

b - Invited as the Key-Note Speaker at the Chilean Psychogeriatrics Society’s Congress, University of Valparaiso, Chile, November 2008.

c - Invited to join as an Adviser to the National Program for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and Neglect, National Direction for Elders, Ministry of Social Development, as a joined effort between NGO, Academics and the Government of Argentina.

d - Invited as well as a current Expert to the LA Region follows up of  MIPAA in Brasilia at the Second Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean: towards a society for all ages and rights-based social protection (Brasilia Declaration), ECLAC, and recently in Buenos Aires on May 21-22(2009), being this time its main objective: “Working for a Convention for Seniors”, which as you probably know our region, headed by Brazil, Argentina and Chile, is quite advanced with the negotiations.

e - Invited as the Key-Note Speaker on “Discrimination, Ethical Issues and Human Rights”at Conference organized by the Haifa University and the Ministry for Seniors on February 2009 in Haifa, Israel.

f - Joint written statement submitted in collaboration with other International NGO with Consultative Status to the UN, SECTION III - HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 10th session, Item 3 on February 27th, 2009, in English, French and Spanish regarding Older Women for the Promotion and Protection of all Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economical, Social and Cultural rights, including the right to Development.

g - The Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Chair by Dr Sergei Zelenev and Robert Venne organized and invited me to participate of an Expert Group Meeting on “Rights of Older Persons” on 5-7 May 2009, in Bonn, Germany. This was convened in response to resolution A/RES/63/151 adopted by the Third Committee of the General Assembly at its 63rd session, wherein the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General “to submit to the General Assembly, at its 64th session, a Report on the implementation of the present resolution, including information on the Promotion and Protection of Human rights as they pertain to older persons.” (A/RES/63/151, paragraph 19).
The purpose of this Expert Group Meeting was to provide the General Assembly with independent Expert opinion on questions related to the Rights of older, as well as inputs into and recommendations for the report of the Secretary-General.
General objectives of the Expert Group Meeting was to explore how fundamental Human Rights of older persons could be assured and deepened and how the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing could be better implemented concerning the rights of older persons. In this context, analysis, approaches and documents of rights enforced in the past, of institutional settings, and of overall capacity to further implement policies and laws concerning the rights of older persons were discussed during the meeting.

Main objectives of the meeting were:

• Identify and evaluate good national practices regarding protecting and promoting the rights of older persons, including measures to prevent discrimination, neglect, abuse and violence;
• Select innovative approaches to widening and deepening the rights of older persons nationally and internationally.
• Identify capacity tools that are required and could be recommended to policy makers when addressing the rights of older persons.
• Elaborate recommendations on how to promote the rights of older persons at the level of member states and the United Nations.
• Explore feasibility and possible approaches to elaborating an international legal framework on the rights of older persons, including (a) an International Convention on the rights of older person and /or (b) a Special Rapporteur on the Rights of older persons.

 
＊The Report is already available on the web-site of the UN Program on Ageing:

h - Invited Speaker and Expert to the Prague Conference:Dignity and Hazards for the Elderly, 24-25 May, 2009, Czech Republic, on “Age Discrimination and Equal Rights throughout the world” and “Regarding ethical issues in Geriatric care”.

• Participated on the “draft” of the Prague Declaration.

i - World Day Awareness Elder Abuse 2009 was successfully being planned for June 15th in Buenos Aires DC as well as the rest of the country in conjunction with so many other cities all over the world.
This was implemented between different NGO, National and Private Universities, the Argentinean Government and the Civil society with great participation of elders and all kind of Media communication and press release.

j - Planning INPEA Committee for  the Official 4th World Elder Abuse  Awareness Day (WEAAD) to be held at the Palais des Congrès, Paris July 5, 2009 with the full support of the IAGG, hosted by ALMA France and with the presence of distinguish speakers from all regions of the world and the Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, European Commission for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
The Conference will be followed by a reception, presentation of the International Rosalie Wolf Award in Elder Abuse and a Press Conference.

Due to worldwide and regional financial difficulties, which hadn’t able to be solved yet, ILC-ARG is finding difficulties to get enough funding to develop new projects for the near future.

Nevertheless we are hoping to start as soon as possible two different and new Research projects:

• One with the INADI (National Institute on Discrimination) precisely on Old Age and Discrimination in Argentina…
• The other one with the ISALUD University, similar to the one which was done  with WHO, “Missing Voices” in 2002, working with focus groups but this time on Perceptions of Human Rights with Elders and Health Professionals.
• Started preparing a new” Train the Trainer Seminar” for the 4th time in the LA Region, to be held next year in Montevideo and in collaboration with INPEA Uruguay and the Uruguayan Ministry of Health.

Awareness into action of Elder’s problems is crucial to achieved social changes and should follow worldwide recognition.