No one should lose their human rights simply because they grow older

On the International Day of Older Persons, ESU calls for an ambitious, legally binding UN Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons

Every year on 1 October, the world celebrates the International Day of Older Persons. This year, the European Seniors’ Union (ESU) uses the occasion to make a clear demand: Europe and the world need a legally binding United Nations Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons.

The ESU Joint Presidency and Executive Committee adopted its position paper on 24 September 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. It welcomes the decision of the UN Human Rights Council to advance the drafting of such a convention, and it builds on the ESU Strategic Action Plan 2030, the ESU Summer Academy in Bruges, the Spring Conference in Budapest and the exchange with UN Independent Expert Claudia Mahler.

A gap in international human rights law

Older persons are protected by the general human rights treaties, but there is still no dedicated, legally binding UN convention for them. Existing instruments such as the UN Principles for Older Persons (1991) and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (2002) provide guidance, but no binding obligations. According to the ESU, a dedicated convention would make the rights of older persons visible and enforceable, combat ageism in law, policy and practice, strengthen accountability and monitoring, and support inclusive, age-friendly societies that benefit all generations.

Four principles for the process

• Nothing about us without us: Organisations of older persons must be partners in negotiation, drafting, implementation and monitoring.
• Coherence: The convention must complement existing human rights frameworks without weakening current protections.
• Effective monitoring: Robust implementation and reporting, accessible complaint and redress procedures, coordinated with existing UN mechanisms to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Global ownership: All regions contribute on an equal footing, avoiding a purely European framing of universal rights.

ESU priorities for the content

The paper sets out 14 priorities. Among them:

• A clear ban on age discrimination in all areas of life, and active action against ageism
• Autonomy and legal capacity on an equal basis with others, with supported decision-making that strengthens rather than replaces the person’s own will
• Access to health care, long-term care, dementia care and mental health services as fundamental rights
• Digital inclusion: digitalisation must never exclude older people from public services, banking or healthcare, and human contact must remain available. Safeguards are also needed against algorithmic discrimination in AI
• Economic security, adequate income and protection against financial exploitation
• Protection from abuse, violence and neglect, and access to justice
• Inclusion of older persons in emergency planning, from heatwaves to pandemics and armed conflicts
• Lifelong learning, employment, volunteering and active citizenship
• Dignity at the end of life, including palliative care and respect for personal wishes

Ageing is living

“Ageing is living, and living is ageing,” the paper states. The ESU calls for a life-course approach and stresses that vulnerability is not an inherent characteristic of older age. Older persons are citizens, workers, volunteers, carers and community leaders. Intergenerational solidarity is a shared responsibility of all generations, not a duty that restricts the rights of older people.

Call to action

The ESU asks its member associations to promote the Convention and to support their national delegations in the negotiations. It calls on governments, regional and international organisations and civil society to ensure that older persons and their representative organisations take part fully throughout the process. The ESU supports the positions of AGE Platform Europe and stands ready to contribute to negotiation, implementation and monitoring.

Read the full position paper: https://esu-epp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/adopted-position-paper-UN-Convention.pdf