Your Voice Matters: A Consultation on Human Rights Principles in Older Age
Across the world, people are living longer. Yet many older persons continue to face discrimination, exclusion from decision-making, and barriers to exercising their human rights.
As discussions move forward on the development of a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons, it is essential that the voices and lived experiences of older persons and civil society help shape what comes next.
To contribute to this effort, Age Knowble is launching an online consultation on human rights principles and priorities that matter in older age. This consultation builds on dialogue and insights from the 2026 Global Rally event, Who Decides? Human Rights Principles That Matter to Older Persons with Dementia. The event brought together 140 participants from different regions of the world.
From the Rally exchange, six human rights principles emerged, reflecting shared experiences across regions and roles, as well as poll results from Rally participants. Analysis of the perspectives shared also identified cross-cutting themes and a set of imperatives that can help inform discussions on the conceptual framework of a future UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Share Your Perspective
The online consultation invites input from around the world:
- Share the degree to which you agree with these six principles and associated cross-cutting themes
- Reflect on the extent to which these principles and themes apply to older persons more broadly
- Consider a set of imperatives on how they could inform a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons
The consultation is open to people of all ages, including older persons, caregivers, family members, professionals, organisations, researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in how dignity and rights are experienced in older age. Older age is our joint future.
Your participation is timely, as the July session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the human rights of older persons is likely to begin discussions on the conceptual framework and general principles of the future Convention. Survey input will be analysed and summarised for submission to this July session.
The consultation is open until 15 April 2026. Take the Consultation Survey https://s.surveyplanet.com/510g29xj.
Learn More about The Global Rally Event and Consultation
- Watch event highlights
- Read reflections on the inaugural UN Intergovernmental Working Group on Human Rights of Older Persons
- Learn more about the online Consultation (not required before taking the survey)
Every voice along the journey matters. Your voice matters!