December 2019
Special Briefing
Looking at the von der Leyen Commission from an older people’s perspective
 On 27 November 2019 the European Parliament finally approved the new European Commission with 461 votes in favour, 157 against and 89 abstentions. The day after the European Council officially appointed von der Leyen’s team for 5 years.
Many articles have been published on the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen, but from the point of view of a self-advocacy organisation of older persons, what is in it?
Read our full article
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------------------------------- AGE NEWS -----------------------------------
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UNECE Working Group on Ageing seeks to reinforce links between national & global policies
 Population ageing has been recognised by the United Nations as one of the four global demographic megatrends together with population growth, international migration and urbanization. In that context, Member States must address the demographic change in a more comprehensive and coherent way with other key challenges. One way of doing this is to bring closer national actions on ageing to the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This was discussed last November in Geneva.
Read more
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The UN needs to address the human rights implications of new technologies! -  AGE replies to UN consultation
We have replied to a recent United Nations' consultation on human rights opportunities, challenges and gaps arising from new and emerging digital technologies. We explain how crucial it is to examine their human rights implications and set standards in order to ensure the equal enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.
Read our contribution
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Towards a new European Disability Strategy for 2020-2030
 While the new European Commission has just entered into office, the disability community is eager to learn more about the evaluation of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020. This is a key step towards the renewal of the strategy and to understand how it will be structured.
Read more
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Civil society urges EU countries to end violence against women
 On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women we stressed the double burden of sexism and ageism that makes older women particularly vulnerable. We also teamed up with the European Women's Lobby and other EU civil society organisations to urge EU countries to reach an agreement to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women & girls and domestic violence (the "Istanbul Convention").
Read more
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Train travel is the future - and train passengers  deserve better rights!
Together with the European Passengers' Federation, the European Disability Forum and the European Cyclists' Federation, we have published a joint statement to call on the Council to improve the Rail Passengers' Rights Regulation currently under revision.
Read more
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AGE joins ambitious pan-European project for better long-term health & active ageing
 The new EU-funded project SHAPES, kicked off at Maynooth University, Ireland, on 11-13 November 2019, aims at improving health, wellbeing, independence and autonomy of older individuals, while enhancing the long-term sustainability of health and care systems in Europe.
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 Madonna, 60 years old and microphone in hand, finds her best response to ageism
Madonna recently turned 60 and became a new standard-bearer of the fight against ageism. In an opinion for the Spanish magazine Entre Mayores, our Campaign Officer, Estelle Huchet explains how the famous pop star is very much in line with our recent #AgeingEqual campaign: she stands for what she loves. Read Estelle's interview
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After 25 years of commitment towards gender equality, older women speak up for their rights in Geneva
 AGE member organisation, OWN Europe (the Older Women’s Network Europe) was at the Beijing+25 Regional Review Meeting to take stock of the achievements on gender equality made so far and of the persisting challenges in the UNECE region by 2030.
Elizabeth Sclater from Older Women’s Network Europe looks back on the event and on OWN Europe’s contribution to the discussions since 1995.
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BAGSO marks 30th anniversary with new logo and website
 The German National Association of Senior Citizens’ Organisations, BAGSO, has been celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Founded in 1989 as a working group of a few senior citizens' associations, BAGSO represents today the interests of the older population in Germany, bringing together 120 national senior associations, mostly run by seniors.
Read more
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------------------------------ OTHER NEWS -------------------------------
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10th anniversary of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: How far have we gone?
 The entry into force of the Charter of Fundamental Rights 10 years ago was an important milestone for the European Union. It is critical tool to ensure the fundamental right to equal treatment of all individuals, regardless of age, becomes a reality everywhere in Europe. But the Charter will not live up to its full potential unless parliaments, governments, courts and civil society at all levels actively apply it.
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Human rights in older age: UN Member States expected to adopt recommendations
 An important resolution adopted last 19 November by the United Nations requests UN Member States to adopt a document recalling the main points of agreement after each annual session of the Open Ended-Working Group on Ageing (OEWG). This will allow the OEWG to move away from purely theoretical discussions to defining how universal human rights should be concretely applied in the context of older age. Read more
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A Society for all Ages - BAGSO publication
Pensions at a Glance 2019 - OECD report
This EU-wide survey pictures the situation of discrimination in the European Union, how Europeans experience discrimination at work, in education, in seeking housing or as customers of services, and what their perceptions of discrimination are on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disability, age and sexual orientation. 
AGE work is supported by grants of the European Commission. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of AGE Platform Europe and cannot be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.