October 1st is the International Day of Older Persons. Events are held annually around the world to commemorate the Day of Older Persons, aiming to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly.
The theme for the 2024 International Day of Older Persons is “Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide”. This highlights the need to strengthen comprehensive support for older persons to live with dignity worldwide. As aging is something everyone will experience, it’s considered an issue relevant to all. It’s crucial to ensure that older persons can live with human dignity and receive their deserved human rights.
In Myanmar, due to the ongoing consequences of the attempted military coup by the military council, the entire population is facing human rights violations and various social hardships daily. In particular, the number of internally displaced people is increasing day by day, including elderlies. Natural disasters, as well as the military’s burning of villages during operations, have made it difficult for people to relocate. Many older people have died in fires, and others have been killed in targeted airstrikes and indiscriminate artillery attacks on innocent civilians.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of the National Unity Government recognizes that the elderly among the public are also a force for the people’s revolution. The Ministry is prioritizing efforts to ensure the right to life and security for internally displaced people, especially conflict affected elderlies, as well as addressing their social welfare needs including food, clothing, and shelter, in line with the commitments in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Ministry has provided food supplies, medical supplies, and donations for the elderly, including those among conflict affected civilians and their family members, as well as recent flood victims, on October 1st to commemorate this year’s International Day of Older Persons.
