AC99 - Newsletter and IYOP Initiatives

	Newsletter and IYOP Initiatives Australian Coalition '99

AC '99 UPDATE - EDITION No. 5 (November/December 1998)
International News

INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE

An international message from Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations: an abstract from his address to launch the International Year of Older Persons at the UN in New York on October 1, 1998

We live in an age to which many labels have been attached; it is the post-Cold-War age; the postindustrial age; the age of the Internet; the age of globalisation. Our time is also, undeniably, the age of longevity. It is fitting that the last year of this millenium has been designated as the International Year of Older Persons, with the theme, "towards a society for all ages". A society for all ages is one that does not caricature older persons as patients and pensioners, but instead sees them as both agents and beneficiaries of development. It honours traditional elders in their leadership and consultative roles in communities throughout the world. And it seeks a balance between supporting dependency and investing in lifelong development. A society for all ages is multi-generational. It is not fragmented with youths, adults and older persons going their separate ways. Rather, it is age-inclusive, with different generations recognising - and acting upon - their commonality of interest. And a society for all ages is committed to creating an enabling environment for healthy lifestyles as people age.

The International Year of Older Persons gives us an opportunity to move in this enlightened direction. Without for a moment forgetting the tragic exceptions generated by violence, disease and poverty, for most people around the world lives are lengthening. Life is becoming less like a short sprint and more like a marathon. Marathon runners will tell you that completing such a race depends largely on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, training and willpower. But they will also confess that there is an intangible element to this often lonely pursuit: that of being in a community of fellow-runners, which can make the difference between fading and finishing. Longevity requires of us the same mixture of practicality and persistence, and the same sense of common purpose.