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AGE work is co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union. The contents of
this document are the sole responsibility of AGE Platform Europe and cannot be taken to reflect the views of the
European Commission.
DELIVERABLE D2.10
Beneficiary AGE Platform Europe
Specific Agreement AGEWP2020 – 893802
Programme REC-NETW-OG-2019
Work Package WP2
Type of deliverable Report
Dissemination level Public
Actual date of delivery 8 December
Title of deliverable Meetings on the intersection of ageing
and disability
1. Description of the deliverable
This deliverable, which is part of WP2 presents the organisation of two meetings on
the intersection of ageing and disability. The first was a joint working meeting co-
organised by AGE, OHCHR Europe and the European Disability Forum on the rights
of older persons with disabilities. Due to the COVID-19 context and the unavailability
of the former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, some
adjustments were made to the planning of this meeting ( detailed below) while
keeping in line with the overall objectives of our work programme. The second event
was a capacity-building training for staff of the European Disability Forum. Both
events were organised and delivered by the Secretariat although the positions
presented on behalf of AGE are based on our ongoing work on age and disability
(mainly our taskforces on human rights, dignified ageing and healthy ageing).
2. Key outcomes
a) Joint meeting on the rights of older persons with disabilities
In order to build more awareness of the report produced by the former UN Special
Rapporteur focusing on older persons with disabilities and to discuss how to apply
her recommendations in the EU context AGE had initially foreseen to invite the UN
Special Rapporteur to our annual conference and to use the opportunity of her
presence in Brussels to organise a working meeting with policy officials in the
margins of our conference. However, due to COVID-19, our annual conference was
postponed until end of September and took place online. In the meantime, the
mandate of the Special Rapporteur reached an end and she also moved to another
high-level position as Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United Nations and so she
was no longer available for our meeting. Because the three partners (AGE, EDF and
OHCHR Europe) believed that this event remained highly relevant and timely in light
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of COVID-19 and ongoing policy developments, the decision was taken to adapt the
focus and programme of the event to reflect this new context. The UN Independent
Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons who had earlier
issued a report on the impact of COVID-19 on older persons was invited to provide
some initial reflections based on her findings which would become the baseline to:
1) Discuss key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU, as exposed and/or enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic;
2) Explore concrete pathways and measures which would help to recover better from the crisis in the EU;
3) Identify suggestions and recommendations to the EU in particular in the context of the formulation of the Green Paper on Ageing, the new Disability Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the proposal for new EU legislation in the field of non-discrimination.
The meeting was attended by 32 participants including the United Nations
Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and
representatives of EU institutions, Member States and important civil society and
human rights actors in the region. The event highlighted gaps in human rights
protection exposed by COVID-19 and helped identify recommendations to close
those gaps and build back better. One of the key recommendations made was the
need to break down silos that often leave older persons with disabilities between the
cracks of different support systems and which exist both at EU and national levels.
The meeting was held under Chatham House rules but a short outcome paper has
been produced and disseminated among participants and more widely. The
discussions also fed into our contribution to the Roadmap of the UN Disability
Strategy (see D2.3) and also to a statement made in the frame of roundtable at the
13th session of the Conference of State Parties to the CRPD focusing on older
persons with disabilities.
b) Training on old-age and disability for EDF staff
Upon request of the European Disability Forum (EDF), AGE staff delivered a short
awareness-raising session on older people with disabilities. The aim of this session
was for the EDF Secretariat to gain better understanding of:
o The intersectionality and specific needs of and challenges faced by
older men and women with disabilities;
o Key issues leading to/deriving from age (e.g.: poverty, pay gap and
retirement, communication and portraying of older people in the
media);
o AGE’s current main policy/advocacy priorities in order to explore areas
where AGE and EDF could work together more effectively, beyond
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those fields where the two organisations already work quite closely,
such as accessibility.
The training was split into two parts, the first one being more theoretical and the
second more practical. In the first part AGE presented key concepts and ideas. In
the second part two break-out sessions were held, one focusing on policy issues and
another on administrative, communication and membership issues.
In terms of concrete opportunities to enhance the collaboration between the two
organisations, the following were noted: the upcoming green paper on ageing; the
new EU disability rights strategy; the ongoing impact of COVID-19, digitalisation and
UN discussions on the SDGs and a new UN convention are relevant for both
advocacy groups. A general comment was also that the UNCRPD could be used
more widely and consistently by AGE and its member organisations even if they
don’t self-identify as persons with disabilities. Both organisations also noted the
impact of the pandemic on work practices and membership engagement. An area for
further work might also be how to frame strategically issues at the intersection of
ageing and disability and how to avoid the vulnerability narrative that has prevailed
during the pandemic.
11 members of the EDF Secretariat participated in the training. Nena Georgantzi,
Julia Wadoux and Estelle Huchet from AGE Secretariat led the training in
collaboration with Nadege Riche from EDF. A couple of AGE colleagues also
attended the meeting. The feedback received after the meeting was very positive
and there was interest among AGE staff to also do a training on disability for the
AGE Secretariat.
3. Prints of relevant proofs
This part includes a) the concept note (including the agenda) and outcome paper of
the joint policy webinar on the rights of older persons with disabilities; and b) the
agenda of the training for EDF staff
a) Joint meeting on the rights of older persons with disabilities
Concept note and agenda
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Policy webinar
Building Back Better:
Lessons for the protection of the human rights of older persons with disabilities in
the EU
With the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons
Ms. Claudia Mahler
Tuesday 20th October 2020
10.00-12.00
Concept note
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed in tragic ways the combined effects of ageism and
ableism on the rights of older persons with disabilities. Both groups – older persons with or
without disabilities, and persons with disabilities regardless of their age - have been
disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Older persons with disabilities have been hit
the hardest: according to WHO Europe, over 95% of the deaths from COVID-19 in the region
occurred among people older than 60 years, over half of them among people aged 80 years or
older. And up to half of all COVID-19 fatalities in Europe occurred in long-term care
facilities, in particular in care homes for older persons.
Pre-existing attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers have both been magnified by
the crisis and reproduced in the response. Older persons and persons with disabilities were
identified early in the pandemic as persons at particular risk, and residential settings were
known to be conducive for the propagation of the virus. Yet, the long-term care sector
generally, and residential care in particular, were not prioritized in the preparedness and
response plans and measures. This resulted in significant delays in the response, and in the
neglect of the needs of both workers and users of long-term care – ‘the unsung and the
overlooked’1 – in terms of protective equipment and safety protocols in particular.
Infection and mortality rates are picking up again in Europe and older persons with
disabilities continue to be a greater risk. Going forward, it is essential to draw the lessons of
the crisis in order to better protect the rights of older persons with disabilities. This includes
addressing the chronic neglect of the long-term care sector in Europe and prioritizing
integrated and community approaches to care that put people and their dignity front and
centre. In reforming the social support and protection systems, a rights-based approach to
ageing and disability also calls for addressing discrimination and empowering people to
meaningfully participate in the decisions that affect them.
The newly appointed UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by
Older Persons, Ms. Claudia Mahler, dedicated her first thematic report to the impact of
1 ‘Invest in the overlooked and unsung: build sustainable people-centred long-term care in the wake of COVID-
19’, statement by WHO Regional Director for Europe, 23 April 2020.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/ageing/news/2020/05/covid-19-older-persons/https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/covid-19.htmlhttps://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Disability/COVID-19_and_The_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities.pdfhttps://www.epsu.org/sites/default/files/article/files/2905%20COVID%20inquiry%20LTC%20letter%20EPSU%20AGE%20EDF_final.pdfhttps://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/lessons-to-be-drawn-from-the-ravages-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-long-term-care-facilitieshttps://undocs.org/A/75/205https://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/sections/statements/2020/statement-invest-in-the-overlooked-and-unsung-build-sustainable-people-centred-long-term-care-in-the-wake-of-covid-19
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COVID-19 on older persons. Her findings and recommendations to States are particularly
relevant to older persons with disabilities, notably those living in residential care settings.
Proposal
Rationale
European Commission Vice-President Šuica has been mandated with presenting a Green
Paper on Ageing in 2021, looking in particular at social protection systems. At present only a
few EU countries provide comprehensive social protection to cover the need for care in old
age. Principle 18 of the European Pillar of Social Rights stresses the ‘right to affordable long-
term care services of good quality, in particular home-care and community-based services’.
Meanwhile, the EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020 comes to an end and the European
Parliament and other actors have called on the European Commission for an ambitious post-
2020 strategy. All EU member States are parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities. It is further the only international human rights treaty ratified by
the EU as a regional organization, which empowers the European Commission to propose
bold action in this field.
Moreover, the EU currently lacks comprehensive protection from discrimination on the basis
of age and disability beyond the field of employment. The President of the European
Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the Commissioner on Equality, Helena Dalli have
committed to strengthen the EU framework on discrimination during their mandate.
In this context and to mark the International Day of Older Persons, a virtual working meeting
will be convened by the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe, AGE Platform
Europe and the European Disability Forum, to discuss how EU policies can incorporate the
lessons learned from the pandemic in order to secure the rights of older persons with
disabilities.
Specific objectives
4) Discuss key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU, as exposed and/or enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic;
5) Explore concrete pathways and measures which would help to recover better from the crisis in the EU, drawing from the findings and recommendations of the UN
Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, other
UN Special Procedures as well as the UN Secretary-General’s policy briefs and other
guidance issued since the outbreak of the pandemic;
6) Based on the above, identify suggestions and recommendations to the EU in particular in the context of the formulation of the Green Paper on Ageing, the new Disability
Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the proposal for new EU legislation
in the field of non-discrimination.
Organizers: UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe, AGE Platform Europe, the
European Disability Forum
Title: Building Back Better: Lessons for the protection of the human rights of older
persons with disabilities in the EU
https://undocs.org/A/75/205http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1226
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Date & time: Tuesday 20th October 2020 - 10:00 – 12:00
Venue: Webinar –An online invitation will be sent to registered participants.
Participants: In addition to the three co-organisers and the UN Independent Expert on the
Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, the webinar aims to bring together
representatives from the following institutions / organizations:
• EU Commission (Cabinets of Vice-President Šuica and Commissioner Dalli/DG Justice and DG Employment)
• Members of the European Parliament (Intergroup on disability and interest group on ageing and solidarity between generations)
• Representatives of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
• EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)
• European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI)
• European Network of Equality Bodies (Equinet)
Methodology: To encourage open discussion and facilitate the exchange of information, the
working meeting will be held under the Chatham House Rule.
Agenda
Moderated by:
Facundo Chávez Penillas, Human Rights & Disability Adviser, UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights
10.00 – 10.05 Welcome and introduction, Birgit Van Hout, Regional Representative,
UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe
10.05 – 10.20 Key challenges to the human rights of older persons with disabilities
drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Claudia Mahler, UN
Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older
Persons
10.20 – 11.00 Roundtable discussion on key challenges and gaps, including
interventions by all participants
11.00 – 11.05 Comfort break
11.05 – 11.50 Roundtable discussion on recommendations to the EU, including
interventions by all participants
11.50 – 12.00 Concluding remarks
Questions for roundtable discussions
• What do you think are the key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU, as exposed and/or enhanced by the COVID-
19 pandemic?
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• What action can the EU take tackle some of the identified gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU?
For more information:
Nena Georgantzi, Policy Coordinator Human Rights & Non-Discrimination, AGE Platform
Europe, [email protected]
Outcome paper/ report
Building Back Better: Lessons for the protection of the human rights of
older persons with disabilities in the European Union
Policy webinar, 20 October 2020
Outcome report
This report summarises the main take-away points of a policy webinar on lessons learnt from the
pandemic on the protection of the human rights of older persons with disabilities in the European
Union, held by the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe, AGE Platform Europe and the
European Disability Forum on 20 October 2020.
The two-hour webinar gathered a small number of key stakeholders, including the United Nations
Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and representatives of
EU institutions, Member States and important civil society and human rights actors in the region.
The event highlighted gaps in human rights protection exposed by Covid-19, and helped identify
recommendations to close those gaps and build back better. The meeting was held under Chatham
House rules.
Change the narrative
Older persons with disabilities are often considered objects of care that are a ‘burden’ to society.
This is rooted in the fact that they are often subjected to both ageism and ableism and the
inequalities and discrimination that they face are often considered ‘natural’ and justifiable. The
pandemic – with its devastating and disproportionate effects on older persons with disabilities – has
shown that it has become ever more critical to change that narrative. It is essential to recognise that
mailto:[email protected]
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older persons with disabilities are rights-holders contributing to society and that they constitute a
heterogenous and diverse group of people.
The recently adopted EU Council Conclusions on ‘human rights, participation and well-being of older
persons in the era of digitalisation’ is a major step forward for the rights of older persons, which
must be capitalised upon. A review of its implementation by the end of the presidency trio may be
useful in this regard.
End discrimination
While social inclusion and equality are EU founding values, there is currently no comprehensive
legislation at EU level that prohibits discrimination based on age and disability outside of
employment and vocational training. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der
Leyen and the Commissioner on Equality, Helena Dalli, have committed to strengthen the EU
framework on discrimination and its implementation during their mandate, including through the
forthcoming EU Disability Rights Strategy, but there is currently no specific strategy for the rights of
older persons at EU level. While the Green Paper on Ageing is a welcome initiative, there were
suggestions for it to be followed by a White Paper, and eventually legislative measures which would
deliver more concrete protection to the rights of older people. The need to consistently carry out
equality impact assessments was also mentioned.
The participants also called on the EU and Member States to support the development of a new
international instrument to strengthen the protection of the human rights of older persons.
Break down silos
There is a clear fragmentation in laws, policies and practices relating to the rights of older persons
and persons with disabilities (and at times persons in residential institutions), leading to gaps in
human rights protection for older persons with disabilities. They often find themselves caught
between two different support models, hindering access to services and assistance guaranteed to
persons with disabilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Many
participants emphasised the need for an intersectional approach and for harmonising and
consolidating policies and practices at EU and national levels. To that end, it was considered
essential that due attention be paid to the intersection between age and disability in the
forthcoming EU Disability Rights Strategy, the Green Paper on Ageing and the Action Plan of the
European Pillar on Social Rights. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities underpins
the rights of all persons with disabilities, irrespective of age. As such it can help creating synergies
and breaking down the existing silos.
A push for community living
Covid-19 has put the spotlight on the inherent weaknesses and risks of institutional care of older
persons, and the need to rethink systems of support to older persons with disabilities moving away
from the culture of institutionalisation. Implementing everyone’s right to live independently and be
included in the community, as set out in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
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means investing in social protection systems, access to health care and community-based services
for older persons with disabilities, including through measures to support ageing in place in
accessible home environments, and support for both formal and informal support providers. There is
scope for such investments in the Member States with support of EU financial instruments, including
through the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, Covid-19 recovery
funds and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII+).
Bridge the digital gap
Covid-19 has exposed older persons with disabilities to stress, isolation and exclusion and made the
digital divide even more visible. Measures to close this gap, including by providing access to digital
services and training, must be taken urgently to ensure that older persons with disabilities can
effectively access health-related information, basic goods and services, break out of their isolation
and better protect themselves from online abuse and fraud. The need to ensure access to justice
was also mentioned in this regard. The European Accessibility Act will be implemented in national
legislation by 2025 but it is essential that relevant sectors take into account the current
developments to ensure that older persons with disabilities benefit, also in line with the Council
Conclusions on ‘human rights, participation and well-being of older persons in the era of
digitalisation’.
Everybody counts
At the very core of the Sustainable Development Agenda lies the pledge that all States have made –
to leave no one behind and reach out to “the furthest behind first”. However, discussions on Covid-
19 measures and recovery tend to exclude older persons with disabilities, who also remain largely
invisible in data and statistics. Age limitations in general population surveys and the use of
household surveys that exclude people living in care homes and other types of institutions were
identified as barriers. Yet, data is essential to deliver effective policies and monitor their
implementation. Since the start of the pandemic, the Fundamental Rights Agency has produced
bulletins on fundamental rights implications of Covid-19 on different groups, including persons with
disabilities and older persons.
Urgent action
As the pandemic continues, it is vital that urgent measures are taken to protect older persons with
disabilities. Discrimination on the basis of disability and age in the triage process and confinement
must end right now. Measures must also be taken to ensure that older persons with disabilities
continue to have access to general health care and to community-based support and social services.
Reports of abuse, including fraud and financial abuse, of older persons with disabilities are worrying
and must be acted upon. It is also essential that older persons with disabilities, formal and informal
caregivers as well as support networks are prioritised in vaccination schemes and other efforts to
curb the virus.
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b) Training on old age and disability for EDF staff
Agenda
Time Duration Session Methodology Persons in
charge
10:00 am 10
minutes Round table/presentation so
EDF and AGE staff gets to
know each other
Ask each participant:
What is your name, role and
if you had one super power
what would it be
EDF/Nadège,
All
10:10 am 5 minutes Setting up common rules to
create a positive and
conductive training
atmosphere
Propose some ground rules
on a slide and ask
participants if they are happy
with those rules and whether
they want other ones to
make everyone feeling
confident to speak up
EDF/ Nadège
+ AGE/ Nena
10:15 am 5 minutes Presentation of the training
objectives and agenda
Presentation of online
communication rules
Present the objectives
explained at the beginning of
this document orally
EDF/ Nadège
10:20 am 40
minutes Session 1/ Theory: what
every EDF secretariat staff
ought to know about
discrimination on the basis
of age and intersectionality
between age and disability
Oral presentation and Q&A
Presentation around:
- Ageing as a process and how we define older people
- Intergenerational solidarity
- Ageism and drivers to breaches to human rights and fundamental rights of older people
- Wording about portraying of older people
AGE/ Nena,
Julia and
Estelle
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11:00 am 45
minutes Session 2/ Practice: Group
work
The breakout sessions will
aim at identifying
opportunities for knowledge
transfer between the two
organisations (at secretariat
but possibly at members’
level too) and future
collaborations.
- 1 for policy group: a shared policy discussion focusing key policy priorities, including COVID-19 and recovery; solidarity; care/ independent living; social protection/ employment - 1 for support group (com, admin and events’ organisations) : a shared reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of both EDF and AGE based on lessons drawn during COVID-19 with regard to: • Digitalising our
professional practices – how to work with members and partners at times of physical distancing? What works, what doesn’t? Tips and tricks for organisations of older people and people with disabilities to remain active and vocal during/after the pandemic
AGE to initiate and facilitate
the discussion of the 2
parallel sessions
EDF to identify the
participants of each parallel
session
1 EDF staff to support AGE
facilitators on technical
aspects of the 2 parallel
sessions (Ex: Nadège for the
policy session and Raquel for
the organisational session)
AGE/
Policy group:
Nena and
Julia with
support from
Nadège
Support
group:
Estelle with
support from
Raquel
11:45 am 5 minutes Closing remarks
Share concrete next steps
that have come up from the
discussions
AGE + EDF
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11:50 am 10
Minutes Training quick evaluation
Training evaluation
methodology:
- At the end of the session: do a roundtable asking participants about 1 learning and 1 thing that they commit to follow up or implement immediately after the training
- Quick online survey with 3 questions: 1 good thing that we should keep about this training session, 1 bad thing that we should not do anymore, and 1 thing to improve for next training
AGE + EDF/
Nadège