International Longevity Centre Global Alliance - Designing the Future of Ageing

16th February 2021

ILC Global Alliance Representative Urges Leveraging Digital Technology for Social Integration of Older Persons at CSocD59.

The ILC Global Alliance’s oral statement presented is shown below:

“I am a representative of the International Longevity Center Global Alliance, whose member centers are located in 16 countries in Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe, and Africa. Our mission is to help societies address longevity and population aging in positive and productive ways.”

“We acknowledge that “well-being of all” is stressed in the CSoCD 59th session’s priority theme, “A Socially just transition to sustainable development: The role of digital technologies on social development and the well-being of all.“ Older Persons aged 65 and over currently comprise over 9% of the global population and the ratio is forecasted to reach over 22% by 2100.”

“Digital technologies, whether Information and Communication Technologies, Artificial Intelligence or robotics, can transform the lives of older persons for the better as long as these technologies enable older persons to maintain their autonomy and independence, to fully participate in society, to have access to services, and to make fully informed decisions.”

“However, older persons find themselves often excluded from participating in the design, training and use of these technologies. We believe technology should be a means for inclusion rather than a tool for further segregation and exclusion.”

“We urge Member States to consider the special needs of older persons and strive to justly integrate them in the sustainable development goals, through:

• Guaranteeing affordable and reliable internet access as a basic human right
• Providing appropriate and timely digital training
• Developing digital equipment adaptable to their special needs
• Fostering media literacy, critical thinking, and ability to identify reliable online information to avoid abuse and scams
• Making available appropriate digital technology to insure social protection, especially at the time of crisis such as Covid 19 Pandemic.
• Utilizing assistive digital technology in the improvement of health, home, and long-term care.”

Photo shows the CSOCD meeting from a previous year. Most sessions were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.