Mailman School Hosts 5th International Workshop on Population Aging in Developing Countries

Developing countries are experiencing an unprecedented increase in the relative number of older persons. The UN estimates that by 2050, there will be two billion people aged 60 and over and that roughly 80 percent this group will be living in developing countries, resulting in complex social and economic challenges for families, societies, governments, and civil society organizations.

For five years annually, the Mailman School's Department of Sociomedical Sciences, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFP), has sponsored an international training workshop on aging and health in an effort to train nationals from developing countries in public health policy on aging and its implications for resource poor countries.

This workshop covers issues such as the demography, gender, economics, healthcare, and advocacy for policy changes and how to improve policies related to aging and the work and living conditions of older persons in developing countries.

The ten day intensive workshop, which began on July 30, focused on the role of the United Nations in attending to population aging issues, how to prepare country-specific action plans, and how to work collaboratively on developing a shared set of recommendations for the rights of older persons on the international development agenda.

The workshop is part of the International Programme for Policy Development and Capacity Building on Population Aging and Health in Developing Countries launched in May 2002 at the Mailman School. The partnership between UNFPA and the School brings together a network of specialists in the field of aging and development under one roof.

For more information, contact Victoria Raveis, PhD, associate professor of clinical Sociomedical Sciences and co-director of the workshop at vhr1@columbia.edu.

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