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".

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