Transcript 1

EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
FOR BILATERAL COOPERATION ON
THE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS: THE
CASE OF UGANDA REACH THE AGED
ASSOCIATION AND HELPAGE
INTERNATIONAL
By
David Obot
Chairman, Board of Directors,
Uganda Reach the Aged Association
UGANDA REACH THE AGED ASSOCIATION
• URAA is a national voluntary, not-forprofit, non-governmental organization
• Vision: “A dignified, self-fulfilled,
poverty free ageing Uganda”
• Mission: “To champion the realization
and perseveration of a dignified
quality of life for older persons in
Uganda”.
• URAA is a registered NGO and an
affiliate of HelpAge International
QUESTION
• What experiences and
opportunities for bilateral
cooperation exist for the
Uganda Reach the Aged
Association (URAA) and
HelpAge International on
older persons issues in
Uganda and beyond?
Genesis of Bilateral Cooperation
• Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, a founder
member, attended a conference
around 1990s that exposed him to the
activities of HelpAge International,
particularly its relevance to the
protection of older persons’ human
rights.
• Having been inspired, he mobilised
some older persons & formed URAA to
follow the line of HelpAge work in
Uganda
ACHIEVEMENTS
• URAA institutional capacity development
• Participatory research, knowledge building
and information sharing
• Contributions to national policy
development
• Campaigns and collaborative focus on
issues of older persons
• Project support, community linkage,
accountability enhancement
• Joint NGO shadow report to CEDAW on
older women’s rights
• Development partners' confidence on
URAA.
CHALLENGES
• The slow process at the international
level towards a legally binding UN
Convention on Rights of Older Persons
• Inadequate awareness about
gerontology and geriatrics issues.
• Persistent violation of the rights of older
persons due to vulnerability
• High expectations from the older
persons in Uganda amidst scarce
resources
OPPORTUNITIES
• Advocacy for policy influencing &
improving legal protection of older
persons at various levels
• Evidence based research and
learning at national to international
levels.
• Increasing knowledge and
encouraging countries to develop,
implement, monitor and evaluate
social protection policies.
CONCLUSION
• Bilateral cooperation is best
for collectively working on
important issues of human
rights protection amidst the
highly competitive resources
available globally
THANK YOU