Australia is moving closer to a major international milestone, as momentum builds toward a United Nations Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons. How can you help make it happen?
While conventions exist for children, people with disability, women and other groups, there is still no binding global treaty dedicated specifically for the rights of older persons. This gap matters because each day at Advocare we hear about ageism, elder abuse, financial exploitation, social exclusion and unequal access to care for older people here in WA, as well as it does around Australia and the world.
On 3 April 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution that established an open-ended intergovernmental working group to begin drafting a legally binding instrument on the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons. Finally, after years of advocacy and discussion, there is now a formal treaty-making process happening.
What’s happening in Australia?
Following this breakthrough, human rights leaders, legal advocates, civil society organisations, Advocare’s peak Body the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), and the Australian Human Rights Commission have all highlighted that Australia’s ageing population presents both opportunities and human rights challenges. While recent aged care reform, the new Aged Care Act and the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2026–2036 represents important progress, there remains strong support for greater protections to uphold the rights of older people.
In February, the first meeting of the new intergovernmental working group brought together government, organisations and older people to contribute ideas on the framework, principles and architecture of the proposed convention.
Australia’s position is now at the influence and negotiation stage.
While there is not yet a final treaty for Australia to sign or ratify, this is an important opportunity for organisations and older people to help shape what the future convention will include.
Where are we now?
The Australian Government has expressed support for a binding international human rights instrument to protect older people, and Age Discrimination Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald AM, has called for Australia to engage meaningfully and constructively in the United Nations’ process.
In June, the national conversation continued when the Australian Human Rights Commission, along with the Rights of Older Persons Australia network, held an online webinar on advancing a UN Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons. The session brought together the Age Discrimination Commissioner, the Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess, civil society leaders and advocates to discuss the current state of older people’s rights in Australia.
For the team at Advocare, who are all passionate about supporting and empowering older people, one of the most important takeaways was how Australians can support and shape the treaty process.
Now is the time for older people, families, advocates and service providers to speak up about what dignity, autonomy, safety, equality and participation should look like in later life.
If adopted, a convention on the rights of older persons would not automatically change Australian law overnight. However, it could provide a powerful foundation for recognising older people as rights-holders, not simply care recipients.
How to support the convention’s cause
This next stage will be critical to make sure the future convention reflects the lived experiences and voices of older people in all their diversity.
We encourage our WA community to follow the progress of the proposed UN Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons and support opportunities for older people to be heard.
If you’d like to support this process here are a few things you can do as an individual:
- Join advocacy networks: Apply for membership to organisations like Rights of Older Persons Australia or Human Rights as We Age Network.
- Write to politicians: Let them hear what you have to say and demand their support. Our friends at EveryAge Counts suggest personalising and using their draft letters to directly lobby Australian politicians.
- Sign petitions: Add your name to public petitions, such as the EveryAge Counts Human Rights Petition, which lobbies the government to participate constructively in United Nations negotiations.
- Take it to the streets: Participate in public rallies like the global #Agewithrights events or join educational webinars hosted by the Australian Human Rights Commission and partner organisations.
Every little bit helps. Be part of history to help promote dignity, autonomy, safety and equality for people at every age.
