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SPEECH BY THE HON EDWARD FENECH ADAMI, PRIME MINISTER, ON THE OCCASION OF THE UNITED NATIONS EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON POPULATION AGEING AND DEVELOPMENT. 29 OCTOBER 2001
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29/10/2001
29/10/2001
| It gives me great pleasure to open this international | meeting aimed at increasing awareness regarding the wider aspects of elderly life, particularly in terms of the social conditions faced by elderly persons. We who are gathered here today, from so many different geographical areas, and from so many different cultures, share a common goal – an ever-improving quality of life for the elderly members of our community. |
| The very fact that we are gathered here in Malta | today indicates the priority that is being given to the implications of the global ageing phenomenon. This changing demographic outlook is, to a greater or lesser extent, affecting developed and developing nations alike in a number of different ways. |
| The rapid increase in the absolute and relative | numbers of the elderly poses unique challenges to every society. Not least because, unlike other population growth variables such as fertility and mortality, it is neither amenable to change, nor easily modified. |
| Malta has not been immune to these changes. Our | society has traditionally been characterised by a cohesive and extended family structure that tended to provide for the elderly members of the community. However, as in a number of other countries, in recent years this aspect of the family’s roles is being subjected to various economic, social and psychological strains. My Government has responded to these circumstances by developing a series of specialised policy programmes specifically aimed at managing this emerging trend, and improving the care and well-being of the elderly. |
| In fact, soon after becoming Prime Minister in 1987, | I appointed a Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the Elderly. Our aim here was to bring to the fore of our policy-making the particular problems affecting the elderly, as well as the creation of a structure specialised in devising the appropriate remedies to these problems. This decision resulted in the introduction of a number of important measures aimed at supporting our elderly population. |
| A critical success factor throughout this exercise | has been the creation of a sustained and dynamic partnership with other social partners active in this area, particularly the Church and non-Governmental organisations. |
| However, in addition to this emphasis on the need for | improving services for the elderly on the domestic front, Malta has also long been committed to raising the profile of this issue in the multilateral sphere. In this respect, you will recall that, at its twenty-fourth session in 1969, the United Nations General Assembly acted on Malta’s initiative by adopting a resolution giving priority consideration to the world’s ageing population |
| Malta’s role in instigating the concern of the | international community regarding this phenomenon was further manifested in other resolutions, sponsored by the Maltese Government, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. In 1982, these efforts eventually bore concrete results when the United Nations convened a World Assembly on Ageing. This in turn generated the creation of an action programme: the Vienna International Plan of Action. |
| The next milestone was the resolution adopted in 1987 | by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, to establish the International Institute on Ageing in Malta, commonly referred to as ‘INIA’. An official agreement was signed to this effect between the United Nations and my Government on 9 October 1987. The Institute was officially inaugurated by the then Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Perez de Cuellar. |
| In accordance with the mandate handed down by the | United Nations, the main objective of the Institute is to facilitate the implementation of the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing. Its role is aimed at providing practical support, with special importance being attached to the delivery of specialised training programmes to personnel employed in this field, particularly from developing countries. Other activities include research and data collection, information exchange, technical co-operation and publications. |
| I feel that, even within this relatively short period | of time, INIA has met the immediate goals it had identified at its inception. It has strengthened its base and its infrastructure, structured its training cores, established its own network and earned itself an acknowledged place and role in the field of ageing. |
| It is therefore most appropriate for INIA to host | this Conference with participants mainly from developing countries, NGOs, United Nations agencies and Regional Commissions. It is a very important lead-in event to the Second World Assembly on Ageing in April 2002 in Madrid. |
| In this context, I am aware that INIA is in the | process of setting up a sub-committee tasked with preparing a document and declaration regarding ‘Ethics in Ageing’ for the consideration of my Government. May I state here that my Government will extend its full co-operation in concluding this process. It is in fact our intention to present a declaration on this very subject to the Madrid Conference. |
| May I now close by thanking the organisers of this | event for their efforts. Indeed, I have been informed that this event has already produced some significant results. I am referring here to the agreement reached last week between INIA and representatives of the United Nations Population Fund that should give rise to the creation of a productive partnership between the two entities. This agreement will provide for enhanced financial assistance for the Institute’s training programes, as well as for the exchange of expertise and ideas. |
Ladies and Gentlemen
| I welcome you to Malta for what I augur will be a | very interesting and successful conference. I trust that your participation today will further consolidate a collaborative approach to the issues concerning the Elderly – indeed, it need not be stressed in this forum that these issues can best be shouldered by means of international solidarity. |
| Your commitment signals your concerted efforts to | help in integrating the world’s elderly more fully into the mainstream of society. |
I wish you every success in your deliberations.
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