Older Persons, Especially Older Women, Can No Longer Be Absent From United Nations Future Planning

Older Persons, Especially Older Women, Can No Longer Be Absent From United Nations Future Planning

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Symposium presentation

Presenter(s):

Amal Abou Rafeh, Mabel Bianco, Tanvi Patel, Femada Shaman, International Federation on Ageing, United States

Cynthia Stuen, Symposium Moderator

Abstract

The megatrend of global ageing is changing or should be changing our world in fundamental, positive ways. Women comprise more than half of the world’s older adult population but experience the highest rates of poverty. Women’s lower participation in the formal labor market, inequitable unpaid caregiving burdens, gender discrimination, and longer life expectancy are drivers of these disparities. Recognizing the need to empower and make structural changes for girls and women across the lifespan is needed.

The world is disgracefully behind in achievement of the Beijing+30 agenda and given the megatrend of population ageing, women are falling farther behind. The current trend of de-democratization, gender equality backlash, lack of economic investment for older women, and shrinking civil society space, often means that women’s rights are the first to be sacrificed and given low priority in budgets and economic investment.

The United Nations (UN) 2024 Pact for the Future had only one reference to older persons. Therefore, the UN Second World Summit on Social Development in November 2025 provides an opportunity for corrective action. This symposium explores exciting model programs and current data available on these socio-economic trends and suggestions of innovative ones. It offers recommendation for the future work of national and UN policy agendas to bring a life course perspective that transforms society to one that values inclusion, equality, intergenerational reciprocity and leaves no one behind.

This symposium is a Call to Action for countries to adopt a new national/global agenda that embraces longevity as the remarkable achievement that it is and seeks to ensure that the voices of older persons, especially older women, are recognized as contributors to sustainability for the future.

Bio(s):

1) Amal Abou Rafeh serves as the Chief of the Programme on Ageing Section at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York. In this role, she oversees the follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, including coordinating the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Amal served on the Secretariat of the General Assembly Open-ended Working Group on Ageing from 2018 to 2024 and is currently a member of the Steering Group for the Titchfield City Group on Ageing-related Statistics and Age-disaggregated Data. She facilitates the work of the United Nations Inter-Agency Group on Ageing as its permanent co-Chair and contributes to the “Duties to the Future” Inter-Agency Group, which examines the concepts of future generations and intergenerational equity within the United Nations system.

Since joining the United Nations in 2001, Amal has worked in social policy, sustainable development, and demography. Her notable roles include serving on the Secretariats of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) and the High-level Meeting on Youth (2011). Beyond the United Nations, she was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Healthy Ageing and Longevity from 2020 to 2021. Prior to her United Nations career, Amal lectured on the social and demographic data analysis at the American University of Beirut.

Amal’s contributions have been recognized with the 2022 Rosalie Wolf Memorial Award from the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. She holds a Master of Science in Population Studies from the American University of Beirut and has received the prestigious Penrose Award. Originally from Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Amal is a proud mother to a son.

2) Mabel Bianco is the President and founder of FEIM, an NGO working to improve women’s rights since 1989. MD MPH and specialist in Epidemiology and Medical Statics. Co-coordinator of Women Won’t Wait, a global campaign to eliminate VAW and HIV and Director of the Latin American and the Caribbean Women Health Network (1991- 1999). She attended the Río Conference in 1992, Cairo Conference in 1994 and Beijing Conference in 1995 and did their follow-up. In 2000/2001 she was Chief of the HIV/AIDS National Program in MOH and Coordinator of WB Project. Member of UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and HR (2002-2011). She was twice elected as NGO member of UNAIDS PCB. Member of Civil Society Regional Advisory Committee UNWOMEN till 2016.

Since 2012, Co-Chair of the CONGO CSW LAC. Member of WMG since 2014. Awarded by the Argentinian MOH, Women Deliver and Newsweek recognized her as one of the “150 women that moved the world” and in 2017 by NGO CSW NY as “Distinguished Woman of the Year”. In 2019 she was included by the BBC as one of 100 Influencers and in 2020 by Politicals. She is author and editor of 10 books and more than 150 papers and articles. She was the founder and coordinator of the Women’s Human Rights Defenders for G20 Observatory’s as part of the W20 and local coordinator of the C20 Gender Group for the G20 Argentina 2018. She has been elected as Women’s Mayor Group WMG Organizing Partner for Latin America and the Caribbean for period 2019-2020. In 2021 was elected CoChair of the MGoS Coordination Mechanism.

3) Ms Tanvi Patel, Gender Policy Advisor, HelpAge International

4) Ms. Femada Shamam, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, The Association for the Aged – TAFTA: With a background in social work and management, Femada Shamam has dedicated 25 years to the care and support of older persons. As the CEO of one of South Africa’s largest nonprofit organizations supporting older people, she navigates the challenges and opportunities presented by the country’s growing population of older persons.

Her extensive involvement in local, regional, and international bodies has enabled her to make significant contributions to policy development, advocacy, lobbying, and direct service delivery. Passionate about strategic partnerships, Femada believes in the power of collaboration to enhance grassroots impact. She holds various leadership positions and champions leadership development to ensure the country can adequately respond to the increasing number of older people. Her pragmatic approach fosters innovation in resource-poor communities, promoting an inclusive society that allows older people to live with dignity, purpose, and meaning.

Dr. Cynthia Stuen:

Cynthia Stuen, PhD

Cynthia Stuen is the Regional Vice President for North America of the International Federation on Ageing and its Main Representative to the United Nations. Dr Stuen is Vice President of VISIONS Services for Blind and Visually Impaired, Dr. Stuen is the immediate Past Chair of the NGO Committee on Ageing at the UN and active in advocacy for the protection of the human rights of older persons with a special interest in older women. She is active in monitoring of inclusion of older persons in the UN’s Agenda 2030 and support of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.

Her professional career of over 40 years as a gerontological social worker has focused on policy, planning and administration to improve the lives of older persons and recognize the lifelong inequities endured. Serving in various capacities at Lighthouse International during her 24 year tenure. Her entire professional career has been in the field of aging.

Her numerous publications, presentations and research endeavors cover topics of age-related sensory loss, evidence-based electronic records, access to environments for older adults with sensory loss and contributions older persons make to society.

Dr. Stuen received her Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University, her Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago and her doctorate from Columbia University School of Social Work.