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COPYRIGHT 2002 African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2002 brought the world together to work out ways to haul millions of people out of poverty without poisoning the world. The ten-day Summit discussed a wide range of issues, from healthcare and water to saving rainforests and fish stocks. Nearly 200 governments were represented and more than 100 world leaders also attended the Summit.
The Summit, despite its main agenda--addressing world poverty--failed to recognise that increasing numbers of those living in extreme poverty are older people. The WSSD referred to poverty reduction as the greatest global challenge facing the world today and as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. The Draft Plan of Implementation for the WSSD made reference to the specific needs of women, indigenous people, children and farmers. No mention was made of older people. Yet their population will have doubled by 2050. They therefore constitute a group that should be involved in development plans.
Older people play a significant but largely unrecognised role in development. As workers, farmers, householders, caretakers and breadwinners, they play critical roles in household survival. Older people can be agents of change by virtue of their being an important group among...
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