U.S. Advocacy Group Unveils Action Plan to Address Aging Crisis

As the aging population has become a major concern in the developed world, a U.S. advocacy group on Wednesday rolled out an action plan aimed at transforming the “aging crisis” into prosperity.

The Global Coalition on Aging, launched by a group of American business titans including Intel, Bank of America, Pfizer and others to spur global awareness about aging, unveiled a plan called “Global Principles on Population Aging,” and called on governments, corporations and other stakeholders to adopt these principles.

“Transforming the worldwide ‘aging crisis’ into an opportunity to drive global economic growth requires a fundamental shift in the policies and priorities of governments, corporations, NGOs and other stakeholders,” the group said in a statement.

The plan represents seven core values “to guide the necessary changes businesses, governments, communities and individuals must undertake to maximize the opportunities of population aging,” the statement said.

The principles include statements advocating public-private cooperation in the development of solutions, as well as the adoption of a holistic, optimistic view of aging. They focus on four core areas including technology, innovation and biomedical research; health and wellness; education and work; and financial security.

“This unalterable demographic shift is already challenging our traditional institutions that as designed can only accommodate a fraction of the aging community they now serve,” said Michael Hodin, Executive Director of the Global Coalition on Aging. “These principles — the product of collaboration among our member companies — invite all stakeholders to address the demographic realities of our changing society.”

Increased longevity and declines in fertility rates are creating the global shift towards aging societies. The 65 and older population in the G20 countries is projected to increase by 124 percent between 2000 and 2030, according to the group. Worldwide, this age group is projected to grow to nearly 2 billion, more than doubling its share of the global population between 1950 and 2050, with annual growth rates of 2.4 percent in developed countries and 3 percent in the developing world between 2000 and 2050.

Source: People's Daily/Xinhua

Latest Developments

We keep our members and partners in touch with the most recent updates and opinions in the worldwide dialogue on population longevity and related issues.

Brazil Must Fight Antibiotic Resistance

The threat posed by antimicrobial resistance is urgent and spares no country - including Brazil. According to The Lancet, 63 deaths per 100,000 are associated with AMR in Brazil and Paraguay, a rate that exceeds the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. AMR-associated deaths in Brazil are second only to cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

We Missed 100 Million Adult Vaccines – Here’s How We Get Back on Track

Like other pandemics throughout human history, COVID-19 has caused profound changes that are still rippling through our societies, even as people are understandably eager to move on. In fact, these impacts are all the more dangerous when they are largely ignored or effectively invisible. The decline in adult vaccination may be one of the most significant, as a new report finds that ~100 million doses were missed in 2021 and 2022 alone – reversing global progress towards widespread adult immunisation as a new standard of care in a world of more old than young.

New Analysis Shows Lost Ground on Adult Immunisation During the Pandemic with 100 Million Doses Potentially Missed

New data shared today by GSK, in collaboration with the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science and the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), estimate approximately 100 million fewer doses of some adult vaccines (excluding Covid-19 vaccines) were administered in 2021 and 2022 than anticipated, based on the global vaccination adoption trends observed from 2013 to 2020, compounding already low adoption rates pre-pandemic.

Going Beyond Applause: The Potential of Caregiving to Unlock Job Opportunities of the Future

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of caregivers – staff and family who provide care for older and dependent people to carry out activities such as eating or moving - catapulted to the front of our collective conscience. The daily applause for front-line care workers showed a high level of recognition for their incredible work and provided insight into how our health systems must change as our society ages. We need to continue to recognise caregivers as essential to our ageing society.

High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy 2023

Join us for the High-Level Forum on the Silver Economy 2023. Now in its fourth year, the Silver Economy Forum 2023, December 6 and 7, will explore aging at every stage of life, looking at the growing global Silver Economy through a multigenerational lens. Linking to the goals and aspirations of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, SEF 2023 will highlight key themes at the intersection of aging at every age, and the Silver Economy.

Global Coalition on Aging Workshop Calls on G7 Countries to Fund Pull Incentives to Spur Antibiotic Innovation

The Global Coalition on Aging, in partnership with JPMA, today announced the release of its workshop report on the AMR crisis facing G7 countries and the world, “The Value of Pull Incentives in Japan to Encourage Investment in Antibiotic Innovation to Solve the AMR Crisis.” If strong action is not taken to address AMR, we will lose the antibiotics we need to cure infections, which is likely to outpace cancer as a major cause of death, killing an estimated 10 million by 2050.