Living Longer Around the World: Opportunities and Challenges

In April of 2022, Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Chile and the Republic of the Philippines, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and the World Demographic & Ageing Forum (WDA Forum) Global Longevity Council, hosted an official side event of the 55th Session of the Commission on Population and Development at the United Nations in New York to launch “Living Longer Around the World: Opportunities and Challenges,” a new report authored by the WDA Forum Global Longevity Council. The report offers positions for policy makers and strategy planners based on age demographics to 2035 for 31 countries representing all levels of economic development, 70% of the global population, and 76% of global GDP.

The speakers from around the world included:

    • Chargé d’Affaires a.i, René Ruidíaz, Permanent Mission of Chile and Chair of the Group of Friends of Older Persons in New York
    • H.E. Mrs. Francisca Perales, Vice Minister of Social Services, Ministry of Social Development and Family of Chile
    • H.E. Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines, Chair of the Bureau of the 55th Commission on Population and Development
    • H.E. Ambassador Boštjan Malovrh, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations
    • Dr. Hans Groth, Chair of the World Demographic & Ageing (WDA) Forum
    • Dr. Pol Vanderbroucke, Chair of the WDA Forum Global Longevity Council
    • Dr. Yosuke Kita, Counselor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
    • Ms. Bernardita Canals, Consultant at National Service for the Elderly Adults (SENAMA), Government of Chile
    • Dr. Karoline Schmid, Chief, Fertility and Population Ageing Section, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division
    • Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair for Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute; Member, WDA Global Longevity Council
    • Dr. Gloria Langat, Aging and Development Unit, African Population and Health Research Centre, Kenya; Member, WDA Global Longevity Council

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.

Best Practices for Engaging a Multigenerational Workforce

Employers are grappling with a myriad of workforce-related issues ranging from productivity to attracting and retaining talent, but many may be overlooking some seismic shifts that are reshaping the future of work: longevity, population aging, and the multigenerational workforce.

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.

More Than Half of Americans are Unfamiliar with Chronic Kidney Disease, Survey Finds

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major blind spot for many Americans, a new survey suggests. The poll, conducted by the Global Coalition on Aging, asked 1,000 American adults about their understanding and perception of CKD. Though many respondents used the internet for medical information and had a regular doctor and blood work done once or twice a year, 58% of respondents said they were unfamiliar with the illness.

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.