The National Human Rights Commission of Korea hosted an ASEM Expert Forum on Human Rights of Older Persons along with the GANHRI Working Group Special Session on Human Rights of Older Persons and National Expert Forum on Human Rights of Older Persons, in a bid to raise awareness on the importance of human rights of older persons
The UN World Population Prospect expected that the number of people aged 60 and above
which accounts for 12.3% of the total population as of 2015 will double by 2050, and the
number of people aged 80 and above will triple.
In particular, Asia will account for 66% of the increase of people aged 60 and above from 2015
to 2050, and in Europe, the number of elderly aged 60 and above is expected to increase from
24% in 2015 to 34% in 2050.
However, the UN Secretary General’s report in 2011 showed that a number of older persons are
suffering from poverty, homelessness, malnutrition, chronic disease with the lack of a caretaker,
unaffordable medicine and medical cost, and income insecurity.
Moreover, the Global Age Watch Index 2015 showed that Korea ranked 60 in socioeconomic
welfare and 82 in income security for older persons among 96 countries. As such, human rights
situation of older persons in Korea is lacking behind.
The Commission hopes that the forum served as an opportunity to publicly discuss human rights
situation of older persons, agree on the need for international cooperation and responses.
