The meeting will take place using a hybrid format (in-person and virtual) on December 13-15, 2022 at the United Nations regional organization’s central headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will organize on December 13-15, 2022 the Fifth Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing and the Rights of Older Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean, where high-level representatives of government, international institutions, the private sector, academia and civil society will gather to identify the region’s achievements and challenges in building a decent future for ageing and older persons in the region and in implementing the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 20 years after its approval.

The meeting, which will take place using a hybrid format (in-person and virtual), will be held at the United Nations regional organization’s central headquarters, located in Santiago, Chile. The Government of Chile will take over as Chair of the Conference, a position held by Paraguay since 2017. The Conference has support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The gathering will serve as the framework for the fourth review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action, which will take place on a global level in 2023 in the framework of the 61st session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development.

The meeting’s inauguration will occur on Tuesday, December 13 at 2:30 p.m. local time(GMT-3) and will feature the participation of José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC; Julio César Borba, Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare of Paraguay; Jozef Maeriën, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Population Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean; María José Torres Macho, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Chile; and Giorgio Jackson, Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile.

At the conference, ECLAC will present the document Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean: Inclusion and rights of older persons, which constitutes the regional report for the fourth review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. In addition, countries will present their national reports on implementation of this international action plan.

The gathering will include a dialogue with civil society organizations as well as three panel discussions that will address the situation of the elderly and development; the promotion of health and well-being in old age; and the creation of physical, social and cultural environments that enhance the exercise of older persons’ rights.

The meeting also contemplates three side events on the human rights of older persons in Chile; the challenges of demographic change in rural areas of Central America, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean; and active ageing, social well-being and mental health in the Caribbean.