Older Persons
ITU is fully committed to contribute to the success of the UN Decade on Healthy Ageing, by raising awareness, developing guidelines on policies and strategy advice, share good practices, and strengthen capacity to ITU members on how to use the ICTs to develop innovative solutions that have economic and social benefits and thus, help them to turn this challenge into a great opportunity.
The megatrend of ageing – long lives to 100 as a matter of course and more old than young in all societies as they modernize- is one of the powerful global trends jointly with the technology raise of our 21st century. As today’s one billion older adults over 60 will double to two billion in the next three decades, it becomes evident that ageing in a digital world can turn the paradigm of vulnerable into valuable.
Information and Communication Technologies- ICTs, if built with the digital accessibility requirements and universal design in mind can make a fundamental difference in creating accessible, inclusive and age friendly digital environments and communities. ICT can further enable all of us to live a healthy and active later life, participate and make longer socio-economic contributions to the society, and thus empower all of us to live our lives to the full.
In this context, the “Silver Economy”, now at $17 trillion, triggers substantial transformation of existing businesses models, but also strongly influences global socio-economic ecosystems.
During 2021, the UN proclaimed 2021 to 2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing, which represents a unique opportunity to bring all stakeholders together to improve the lives of older adults, today and in the future.