Celebrating International Day of Older Persons

The General Assembly of the United Nations designated October 1st as International Day of Older Persons . This Day was observed for the first time throughout the world on October 1st, 1991.

By designating a "Special Day" for seniors, the Assembly was giving recognition to the contributions of seniors to development and also drawing attention to a demographic phenomenon: the greying of the population, the "age of aging".

The theme this year is: "Celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of the International Year of Older Persons: Towards a Society for All Ages".

Suggested activities for observing the Day:

• Statements by heads of State, municipalities and organizations;
• Interviews of seniors on radio, television and in the press;
• Photographic and poster displays in public areas;
• Essay and photographic competitions in schools and community centres;
• Youth and seniors debates in schools and community centres;
• Inter-generational cooperation on environmental protection;
• Skills-exchange among seniors of different countries;
• Seminars and lectures at universities and libraries;
• Announcements of the Day on radio, television and in the press.

Suggested themes for the activities may include:

• Contributions of seniors to community life;
• New roles for seniors in conflict resolutions;
• Heroic, historic yet unrecognized contributions of senior women;
• Caregiving by the family as a unit;
• Four and five-generation families in the communities;
• Famous seniors, past and present
• Individual life histories seen against major events;
• Aging in the year 2020 and 2040 (by youth, planning their future);
• Cross-national cooperation on research and training on aging