International Federation on Ageing
Fédération Internationale du Vieillissement
AbbreviationIFA
Formation1973[1]
TypeINGO
HeadquartersToronto
Websiteifa.ngo

The International Federation on Ageing (IFA; French: Fédération Internationale du Vieillissement) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1973 and based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada working in the field of ageing, older persons and ageing-related issues such as ageism,[2] The intent of the organisation is for NGOs, the corporate sector, academia, government, and individuals working together to make, according to the IFA’s mission statement, a "change for older people throughout the world by stimulating, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on rights, policies and practices that improve the quality of life of people as they age".[3] The IFA has General Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

History

At the beginning of the 70s, the United Nations started to become interested in the issue of ageing; and the need for an international organization promoting information exchange at an international level was identified. During the summer of 1972, at an initiative hosted by AARP, twenty representatives of thirteen nations met at the London School of Economics to discuss forming an organization one year later, in December 1973, they met again to formally approve a constitution and bylaws for an International Federation on Ageing.

In the early 80s, the IFA was one of the first organizations to call for a World Assembly on Ageing (WAA). An assembly was finally organized in 1982 and resulted in the world’s first International Plan of Action on Ageing. IFA’s General Secretary at the time, William Kerrigan, became the Secretary-General of the World Assembly. The IFA secretariat remained mostly at AARP headquarters (with brief stints in the UK and Australia) until the early 1990s when the support role of AARP formally ended, and the secretariat moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The organization obtained Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations in 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNESCO and other international agencies. In March 2009, the headquarters were transferred from Montreal to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[4]

International relationships

UN ECOSOC

Since 1995 the IFA has had general consultative status at the UN ECOSOC,[5] the highest accreditation a NGO can receive, reserved for NGOs that are closely involved with the economic and social life, that make substantive and sustained contributions to help the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations and are broadly representative of major segments of society in a large number of countries in different regions in the world.[6] Currently, about 3750 NGOs have consultative status at the UN ECOSOC and about 150 have general consultative status.[7]

World Health Organization

The IFA, along with 183 other NGOs, has official relations with WHO,[8] the only category of formal relations recognized by WHO. The allows the organisation to appoint a representative to participate in WHO's meetings, the right to submit memorandum to the Director-General and the right to access to documentation.

UNESCO, ILO and other organizations

The IFA also works with other UN or non-UN organizations such as UNESCO[9] (Operational Status) and ILO[10] (Second Category Consultative Status). It also has representation on the UN Committee for Human Rights,[11] the UN Committee for the Older Women and UNESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific).

Conferences

The IFA organizes the biennial Global Conference on Ageing in a host city, which attracts over a thousand attendants.

Past conferences

Name of the conference/workshopVenue and dateTheme
IFA 1st Global Conference on AgeingPune, India, 1992Ageing
IFA 2nd Global Conference on AgeingJerusalem, Israel, 1995Global Ageing
IFA 3rd Global Conference on AgeingDurban, South Africa, 1997Ageing and Diversity: Towards Empowerment and Fulfillment
IFA 4th Global Conference on AgeingMontréal, Canada, 1999Towards a Society for All Ages
IFA 5th Global Conference on AgeingMar del Plata, Argentina, 2000The Millennium Conference on Ageing: Challenges
IFA 6th Global Conference on AgeingPerth, Australia, 2002Maturity Matters
IFA 7th Global Conference on AgeingSingapore, 2004Global Ageing: Sustaining Development
IFA 8th Global Conference on AgeingCopenhagen, Denmark, May 2006North-South Challenge
IFA 9th Global Conference on AgeingMontreal, Quebec, Canada, September 2008Shaping Today Tomorrow
International Forum on Ageing in Place and Age Friendly CitiesAkita, Japan, October 2009Ageing in Place, Age Friendly Cities and the Application of technology
IFA 10th Global Conference on AgeingMelbourne, Australia, May 2010Climate for Change – Ageing into the Future
IFA 11th Global Conference on AgeingPrague, Czech Republic, May 2012Ageing Connects
International Workshop on Human Rights of Older Persons in Asia-Pacific RegionThiruvananthapuram, India, June 2012Rights of older persons in the region
International Workshop on Ageing and Healthy EnvironmentsYaoundé, Cameroon, May 2013Issues around elderly people and ageing in the region
International Istanbul Initiative on AgeingIstanbul, Turkey, October 2013Achieving Intergenerational Solidarity
IFA 12th Global Conference on AgeingHyderabad, India, June 2014Health, Security and Community
IFA 13th Global Conference on AgeingBrisbane, Australia, June 2016Rights of Older People
IFA 14th Global Conference on AgeingToronto, Canada, August 2018Healthy Ageing

Upcoming Conferences

Name of the conference/workshopVenue and dateTheme
IFA 15th Global Conference on AgeingToronto, Canada, November 2021Rights Matter

Publications

eNews

The IFA sends electronic bi-monthly newsletters focusing on policy, practice, and their impact on the older person, to update members on the work of the IFA, to raise issues and to share practice and news on the field of ageing.

Reports

The IFA has produced and assists in producing important reports on the field of ageing at an international scale.[12]

Contributions/Achievements

Declaration of the Rights and Responsibilities of Older Persons

In 1990, the IFA published its Declaration of the Rights and Responsibilities of Older Persons, a two-page document detailing the rights of older people regarding care, dignity, self-fulfillment, participation and independence. This document is the foundation of the UN principles of Older Persons,[13] adopted in December 1991, aiming to be integrated in every program for older people.

Montreal Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Older People

In 1999, the IFA organized the 4th Global Conference on Ageing in Montreal which resulted in the Montreal Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Older People. This document was turned over to the United Nations Ageing Unit at the closing plenary session of the Conference on Wednesday, September 8, 1999 and later used by other international organizations including the Council of the European Union.[14] [15]

Global Survey

In December 2000, the IFA completed the first Global Survey, a global opinion poll on the effectiveness of the UN Principles for Older People. 24,000 older people worldwide participated in the study.

References

  1. ↑ "History | International Federation on Ageing". ifa.ngo. November 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Elderly targets of Facebook bigotry". The Windsor Star. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Driving Our AGEnda | International Federation on Ageing". ifa.ngo. September 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ The IFA - its origins and development
  5. ↑ "list of NGOs with a consultative status at the UN ECOSOC" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Welcome to csonet.org | Website of the UN DESA NGO Branch. At your service". csonet.org.
  7. ↑ "United Nations Civil Society Participation – Consultative status". esango.un.org.
  8. ↑ "WHO: List of NGOs in Official Relations with WHO". November 28, 2003. Archived from the original on November 28, 2003. Retrieved December 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ list of NGOs maintaining official relations with UNESCO Archived 2012-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "ILO Special List of NGOs". Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  11. ↑ "Issues of Ageing Must Be in Mainstream of Global Agenda, says ECOSOC President" (Press release). United Nations. 8 April 2008. Presentation of the work of the IFA and its recommendations to the UN Committee for Human Rights by IFA's former president, Yitzah BRICK
  12. ↑ "Welcome". ifa.ngo. November 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ International & National Principles, Rights and Responsibilities of Older Persons, US Department of Health & Human Services, Administration on Aging, 15 September 2011, archived from the original on 2009-05-07, retrieved 12 April 2013, As with many UN documents, the UN Principles have many antecedents. The most immediate, the Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities was developed by the International Federation on Ageing
  14. ↑ Note to the Social Questions Working Party about the Draft Council Conclusions on Equal opportunities for women and men: active and dignified ageing (PDF), Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, 1 April 2009, retrieved 12 April 2013, In the context of [...] the Montreal Declaration on Rights and Duties of Older People adopted at the 4th Global Conference on Ageing of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) in Montreal on 5–9 September 1999
  15. ↑ Council Conclusions on Equal opportunities for women and men: active and dignified ageing (PDF), Council of the European Union, 8 June 2009, archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-12, retrieved 12 April 2013, Considering[...] the Montreal Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Older People, which was adopted at the 4th Global Conference of the IFA in Montreal on 5–9 September 1999
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