International Longevity Centre Global Alliance - Designing the Future of Ageing

12th January 2026

At the January meeting of the ILC Global Alliance, Co-Presidents Julie Byles and Margaret Gillis reflected on the achievements of the Global Alliance during their tenure as presidents from 2021-2025, before handing over the torch to two newly elected Co-Presidents.

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

We have significantly escalated our international engagement at the highest levels, through committee membership, representation, events, submissions and endorsements.

PURSUING RIGHTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE

Our presidency has been constant in driving a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. After significant efforts at the OEWG in NY, including side events organised by ILC Canada, the discourse has now moved to the Human Rights Commission.

Numerous papers were submitted to the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights of Older Persons for her annual reports (ie emergency preparedness, climate change, and the pandemic).

World Congress of IAGG 2022 ILC GA presented a virtual symposium entitled “Protecting Human Rights of Older Persons”.

OEWG

ILC  GA with ILC Canada hosted numerous side events at the UN OEWG advocating for the need for the proposed Convention on the rights of older persons. These sessions included presentations from international experts, particularly from ILC GA (Julie, Alex, Rosy, Silvia and Margaret, to name a few) and Ambassadors from both developed and developing countries. These were well-respected events with full participation, keeping ILC GA leaders central in international work.

HRC

ILC GA participation in groundbreaking resolutions at the UN HRC on the human rights of older persons lead by Silvia Perel Levin with participation of ILC Canada.

HLPF

ILC GA increased its role at the UN High Level Political Forum, including having ILCC Ambassador Ovide Mercredi be the first speaker on ageing and Indigenous people at the Town-hall at the General Assembly of the UN HLPF with the Heads of all the UN main organisations.

UN DECADE OF HEALTHY AGEING

• Engagement with IFA in CSO Mapping and Engagement initiative, and Alliance for the Decade of Heathy Ageing.

ENGAGEMENT WITH WHO

• ILC GA leaders were successful in removing old age as an appropriate cause of death in ICD-11.  Thanks to Julie Byles, Alex Kalache, and Kiran Rabheru who fought for the change and wrote a rebuttal article for the Lancet against those advocating for old age as a disease.
• With ILC GA members, Julie Byles Led the development of a Global Collaboration on Unmet Needs for Health and Social Care for Older people. This work was funded by WHO Centre for Health Development in KOBE and fed into international discussions on measurement of needs and inclusion as a metric in SDGs.
• ILC members have engaged with the Global Coalition Against Ageism (GCAA)
• ILC members are contributing to the WHO LTC Framework
• ILC GA has become a member of the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities of the WHO.

ENGAGEMENT with UNITAR

• ILC GA co-sponsored the second cycle of virtual seminars on mainstreaming knowledge on ageing, organised by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

ENGAGEMENT WITH CSW and CEDAW

• ILC GA participated in CSW66 in March 2022 and held a symposium called Women Working Towards Later Life: Expectations and Inspirations.
• ILC GA statement that was submitted to the 30th Anniversary Global Review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on women’s rights.

MIPAA

• Canada’s Margaret Gillis and Kiran Rabheru presented during the UN Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) review at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) meeting held in Rome in June 2022.
• Julie Byles presented at UN Economic and Social  Commission UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) discussions on MIPAA on the need for a UN convention on the rights of older persons.
• Further UN regional work included Margaret Gillis and Kiran Rabheru presenting during the UN Madrid Review in 2022.

UN STUDENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

• In the student volunteer program led by Margaret and Masako, we invited university students to serve as volunteers at UN sessions. For example, in 2025, two undergraduate students from the University of Tokyo participated online in the HLPF sessions. Mr. Kazufumi Yamamoto attended the session titled “Intersectionality of Ageism and Sexism: Harnessing the Power of Older Women.” Wako Kanenaga participated in a VNR session and reported on how countries are coping with the challenges of population aging, with a focus on the cases of Thailand and Japan. Their reports are available upon request.
• And Tara Tolhurst from the University of Newcastle attended the Commission for the status of Women in 2022 via UN TV.

GAROP

We partner with GAROP in pursuit of rights for older persons.

We participated in The Global Rally for the rights of older persons, which was held on March 3, 2022 as part of the Age with Rights Campaign.

PARTNERSHIP with IFA

ILC GA and IFA signed an agreement to strengthen their international work and impact.

ENGAGEMENT with IAGG

• IAGG Corporate held their April 2023 meeting in Buenos Aires. Julie attended representing Asia/Oceania region.
• IAGG Asia/Oceania held their regional meeting in Yokohama, Japan in June 2023. Julie Byles attended.
• Julie Byles in on the Executive of IAGG Asia Oceania, and is Chair for Julie Byles – Chair, Social Research and Planning Sub-committee
• IAGG e-Trigger Asia Oceania Executive – Julie Byles – Board Member and Academy
• IAGG 2030 Congress Planning Committee – Julie Byles

OUR CHANCES TO GET TOGETHER

• ILC JAPAN  2023 – Active ILC GA participation in the Independent Ageing Convention in Japan in 2023 under Silvia Perel Levin’s and ILC Japan’s leadership. A meeting hosted by ILC Japan followed in Tokyo
• BANKOK 2024
• ILC SA 2025

MASTERCLASS IFA Capetown September 2025

The Power to Influence – Actors, Actions, and Approaches

RECOGNITION

creation of the Julia Alverez Human Rights Award

OUR SKILLS

ILC UK commenced a skills analysis of the members of ILC GA

COLLECTIVE EFFORTS ACROSS THE ALLIANCE –  REPORTS

• The macro level impact report called “Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons” has been published and on the ILC GA website. It highlights the challenges to the human rights of older persons during and after COVID-19
• Positive Aspects of Caregiving Working Group policy paper was written and released.
• LTC Vignette and 6A Framework report was produced and released.
• VIEWS data were collected on vaccines for people over 60. – report drafted – led by ILC France
• ILC GA leadership participated in the soon to be released Lancet Report on Long Term Care.
• Climate Working Group with a grant from ILC GA produced a challenge paper on the effects of climate change in older persons.
• Thematic Report on the Human Rights of Older Women – United Nations Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of Human Rights by Older Persons

NEW MEMBER

ILC Uganda.

AGEISM

The Ageism Committee outreach strategy is being strengthened to increase visibility and engagement by expanding to include more ILC GA organisations. Work is underway to translate the Ageism Awareness and Education Module into French and Spanish to share widely where appropriate.

A Code of Conduct clause was added to the ILC GA By-laws.

CELEBRATION
We shared in celebrating Alex Kalache’s (ILC-Brazil) 80^th birthday.

IN MEMORIUM – BARONESS SALLY GREENGROSS

We collectively mourned the loss of Baroness Sally Greengross (ILC-UK). Sally had an incredible impact and was a founding member of ILC. She made us feel important, influential, and inspired us to work on behalf of older persons. We all hope to be able to inspire the next generation to continue the work for older persons in the same way as she inspired us.

WARMEST THANKS

To Masako Osaka (ILC-Secretariat) – for being our guide, our structure, and our safety net.

And to Leah Clement – for faithful minutes of our meetings.

Julie Byles and Margaret Gillis
ILC GA Co-Presidents 2021-2025