I. RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Policy and institutional framework

1. In order to strengthen the links between the United Nations system, regional governments and civil society in understanding and addressing ageing concerns in accordance with the Shanghai Implementation Strategy1 for ageing in Asia and the Pacific, the Intercountry Exchange Programme concluded with the following recommendations:

1. Develop national, non-governmental and community health policies that prepare people for healthier ageing by promoting and protecting their health throughout life.
2. Promote social policies that emphasize health as a matter of prime importance in order for older persons to remain active in their homes and maintain their independence.
3. Foster conditions conducive to the creation of social, educational and organizational opportunities, along with physical activities to increase the health, self-esteem and independence of older persons and their active contribution to the community.
4. Incorporate the empowerment of older persons as an integral element of population policies and programmes.
5. Consider various policy and practical options to shift institutional-based care to home- and community-based care.
6. Emphasize the need for community care for older persons when they experience poor health.
7. Create effective partnerships between political parties, civil society organizations and the private sector that play an important role in empowering older persons.
8. Adopt rights-based approaches to designing, implementing and evaluating ageing projects.
9. Defuse negative stereotypes of older persons by encouraging associations and the media to help sensitize the public concerning issues of neglect, abuse and violence against older persons.
10. Promote the role of the media in raising awareness and sensitizing the public on the issues of ageing and older persons.
11. Initiate case studies on best practices by considering different projects, different model designs and methodology for evaluating the impact and sustainability of the different projects addressing wider-community issues and cultural specificities.
12. Give special attention to older persons living in conflict, post-conflict and disaster-affected areas.

B. Projects

13. Involve persons from all generations in projects designed to empower older persons in order to include everyone concerned and so that older persons are recognized as a valuable resource for national development.
14. Create synergy to improve the impact of ageing projects by involving interested partners, such as the local government, the health department, training institutes, religious organizations and the private sector.
15. Train project staff and volunteers on the basic elements of project design, management, budgeting, accounting, monitoring, evaluation and advocacy to strengthen the capacity of older persons in managing the project cycle.
16. Explore with all health-care project stakeholders the feasibility of introducing risk indicators in consultation with government social service departments in order to better provide information to identify vulnerable older persons and develop appropriate care interventions to support them in their own homes and prevent unnecessary admission to care institutions.
17. Develop assessment criteria for volunteers, which ensure a better match between the caregivers and care receivers so that people in need receive the appropriate care.
18. Identify volunteers for ageing projects based on the reasons for and interest in helping, or not helping, others and the type of service they would be willing to provide.
19. Make an effort to better understand the human side of ageing projects to mitigate undesirable outcomes.
20. Include a component on spirituality in ageing projects.
21. Encourage mainstreaming of model ageing projects.

C. Implementation and evaluation

22. Train care-givers on the provision of a wide range of advice, information and safety tips and services to assist older persons to age healthier and live independently.
23. Publicize the activities of ageing projects by innovative ways to ensure that the community where the project is being implemented is fully informed of its activities.
24. Develop participatory monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for ageing projects.
25. Consider a variety of approaches in the design of projects intended for the creation of sustainable income generation.
26. Promote the sense of ownership and identification with ageing projects to increase their impact through weekly meetings, participation in cultural activities, and wearing distinctive uniforms or insignia, for example.

II. AGEING ISSUES AND POLICIES IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

2. Ageing, demographic changes and the lack of commensurate social welfare programmes for the elderly in Asia and the Pacific and their potential consequences to national development and poverty alleviation were the focus of the discussion and presentations made during the Intercountry Exchange Programme on Successful Practices in Empowering Older Persons. Persons aged 60 years and over constituted 8.8 per cent of the Asian Population in 2000. This figure is projected to increase to 14.7 per cent by 2025 and to 22.6 per cent by 2050.2 A committed and concerted response centred on the enabling environments that exist at the national level was greatly needed to address the emerging economic and social issues related to ageing. To highlight these issues, several presentations were made on strategies and programmes utilized in different countries in the region to date. These were as follows.

3. The secretariat made a presentation on rights-based approaches to national-capacity building on ageing. It briefed the participants on the salient features of a proposed project on the rights of older persons in Asia and the Pacific. The project was entitled “Rights-based Approaches for Dignified Ageing for the Elderly in Asia and the Pacific”. Its main objective was to introduce a rights-based approach for building national capacities to complement the initiatives taken by member States in the region in addressing ageing issues as outlined in the Madrid International Plan of Action.

4. The project would achieve capacities in the following areas:

(i) Assessing patterns and trends of violations against the elderly to better sensitize and inform policy formulation.

(ii) Formulation draft bills or amending existing ones related to ageing issues through consultative processes.

(iii) Training professionals and practitioners in charge of policy and programme development for the elderly on utilizing the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and Shanghai Implementation Strategy.

(iv) Strengthening the expertise of parliamentarians involved in law reform in contributing to the development of the legal framework that governs the administration of policies and procedures related to the elderly.

(v) Preparing informational campaign materials on promoting the rights-based approach to ageing with dignity.

5. The secretariat also made a presentation on the Madrid and Shanghai mandates for policies on ageing. Building the foundation for a society for all ages was the main aim and objective of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the Shanghai Implementation Strategy. However, the latter looked more specifically at the situation in Asia and the Pacific.

6. The Plan of Action was based on three main pillars: (a) ageing and development; (b) health and well being; (c) enabling and supportive environments for ageing. With regard to the first pillar, the main message was that there was a need to find innovative ways for the provision of universal social security. Currently, there were two types of social security coverage in the ESCAP region, contributory and non-contributory programmes administered in the formal sector. The first consisted of the payment of lifetime pensions defined in terms of the person’s level of earning before retirement. This type of coverage reached a small percentage of the population. The second type of coverage, the non-contributory, which was in the form of benefits paid to employees, did not provide viable income security in the long term. Social security coverage in the unorganized sector was even more problematic.

7. On the second pillar, planning for health and well-being needs to start early to reduce factors that lead to disease and create the need for dependency in older age. Poverty alleviation was directly correlated to health improvements. To realize the third pillar, solutions were needed to integrate older persons into the community particularly as ageing and disability overlapped. Disability resulted from obstacles laid by society. The use of technology could remove these barriers so that the participation of older persons in all social, cultural, and productive activities could be realized. Designing friendly private and public features and putting up easily accessed information for all were but a few examples to address the needs of the elderly.

8. The Shanghai Implementation Strategy regarded older people as “our national resources”. It clearly calls for promoting projects that show older persons as active, healthy contributors to society. Further, ageing was mostly a women issue, and hence, society could do with encouraging greater male responsibility. Lifetime productive employment is the best preparation for old age, including for women. To achieve greater benefits to society, ageing needed to be addressed by all ministries of government. Research needs in the area of population ageing and community care were also covered.

9. While non-governmental organizations were making efforts to facilitate a higher level of awareness about both documents, the response to this phenomenon, in particular its economic and social development implications, in many parts of the region remained in a nascent stage.

10. One participant explained to clarify an earlier position that while social change must take place to facilitate the inclusion of older persons in the affairs of society, governments should spearhead that change. In this context, it was expressed by another participant that the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing failed to change the realities on the ground mostly due the financial implications associated with its implementation.

11. A number of government representatives acknowledged the role of non-governmental organizations and added that NGOs could further help the government implement its policies through strategic interventions.

12. With regard to the linkages between population policies and ageing, some participants said that explicit issues must come to the surface and projects must be assessed so that lessons learned could be elicited.

13. Ms Sirirat, a member of the Faculty of Nursing of Chiang Mai University, introduced the programme of the faculty, which consisted of four subprogrammes. These were: (a) Community services for the elderly; (b) Health promotion for the elderly; (c) Royal projects which helped provide care for rural people including the elderly; and (d) International cooperation, through which students could acquire graduate degrees in care for the elderly in various areas of specialization.

14. Some participants expressed their interest in the programme and enquired about links, scholarships, and employment opportunities for international graduate students in Thailand. Ms Sirirat said that there was a special training programme for students wishing either to practice in Thailand after graduation or go to the United States of America.

15. Mr S.D. Gokhale, the President of the Community Aid & Sponsorship Programme (CASP, India), briefed the participants on the activities of his organization, in particular those related to longevity. In this context, he said that there was a great need to develop human resources through expert training in the area of gerontology and promoting healthy lifestyles in old age. He also mentioned that advancements in technology, such as geo-positioning technology, were being explored in India to provide protection for the elderly. For example, one related innovation being considered by police departments in Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi was the use of this technology to provide better emergency services for the elderly in these cities.

16. Mr Cho Hyun-Se of HelpAge Korea briefed the participants on the process that led to the introduction of home care as a national policy on ageing by the Government of the Republic of Korea. Four reasons were cited as to why the government made the shift in emphasis from institutionalized to home care. The policy (a) met older persons’ needs to remain at home; (b) was less costly; (c) provided voluntary services and consequently; (d) helped protect and promote the culture of volunteerism in the country. A small pilot project (US$2,000) was sufficient to provide the evidence necessary to persuade concerned Government officials to make the shift. The success of the initiative was mostly attributed to the involvement of the Government from the early stages of the pilot project, from planning and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. At the end of the project, the Government allocated grants for home care funding within the national budget.

17. Ms Shubha Soneja, from HelpAge India, first described the ageing situation in India, where approximately 81 million older people lived. This number was expected to rise to 100 million by 2013 (of which 51 per cent would be women by 2016) and to 198 million by 2030. It was estimated that 90 per cent of the work force in India were employed in the unorganized sector, and 75 per cent were located in rural areas. The illiteracy rate amongst old persons was approximately 73 per cent.

18. Therefore, she briefed the participants on the six objectives of India’s national policy on ageing, which were: (a) Encourage individuals to make provisions for their own and partner’s old age; (b) Encourage families to plan ahead; (c) Enable and support volunteers and NGOs to support and supplement care; (d) Provide care and protection to vulnerable old people; (e) Provide health care facilities; (f) Create awareness regarding old people to develop themselves into fully independent citizens. Since 1999, intervention by the Government has focused on several areas. These were: (a) Financial security; (b) Health care and nutrition; (c) Shelter, education and welfare; (d) Protection of life and property; (e) NGOs support; (f) Research and training; and (g) the Media.

19. Poverty was the most compelling challenge for old people in India. Medical care consumed large portions of their meager income causing further impoverishment and indebtedness, which only pushed them into further poverty. To improve the financial and food security of the elderly poor, the Government initiated a social security programme in the 1995, the National Social Assistance Scheme (NSAS), which was introduced as a non-contributory programme to provide assistance to families, maternal benefits and poor elders. However, a study revealed that in the state of Uttar Pradesh, due to illiteracy, low caste, age and poverty, only 40 per cent of poor elders received coverage, leaving 60 per cent without care.

20. Mr Du Peng, of the Centre for population and Development Studies, People’s University of China, briefed the participants on the role of the China National Committee on Ageing (CNCA) in national policy making on ageing. Established in 1983 to promote the well being of older persons in China, CNCA today functioned at three levels: policy setting, coordination and monitoring. As the issues arising from ageing varied from one province to another, each province developed specific regulations to address the prevailing situation under its jurisdiction. CNCA played a major role in gathering and facilitating the exchange of information at the provincial level and ensured its flow to the national level for the promotion of laws to address fundamental issues. Through civil society participation, the country’s elderly population (which was 100 million in 1990) was informed about the activities of the committee and had a chance to be involved more actively, especially in the development of laws to address poverty among old persons. To ensure that regulations were better designed and policies more coherent, Mr Du Peng said that more ministries needed to be included in discussions and that the volunteer model currently in place must be re-evaluated in order to improve its sustainability.

III. ORGANIZATION

21. The Intercountry Exchange Programme on Successful Practices in Empowering Older Persons (IEP) was held at Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 10 to 12 November 2003. It was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), HelpAge International and Kirara No Kai (a non-governmental organization from Japan).

22. The IEP was a follow-up to the recommendations of the Plan of Action on Population and Poverty adopted by the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, held in Bangkok on 11 and 17 December 2002. The organization of the programme was timed to follow the Annual Regional Conference of HelpAge International to benefit from the presence of its participants and build on its accomplishments.

23. The Programme was attended by the following representatives of Governments: China, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Uzbekistan. From non-governmental organizations in the region, representatives came from: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam (detailed list attached in Annex I).

A. Opening of the Programme

24. The Chief of the Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division, delivered the opening statement of the programme on behalf of the Executive Secretary of UNESCAP. The statement of the Executive Secretary underlined UNESCAP’s commitment to forging effective partnerships between governments, civil society organizations, the business community and the United Nations system in addressing the challenges and opportunities related ageing in the region. He said that one of the most direct instruments of relevance to the programme was the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Its main objective was to address the challenges facing the elderly in the 21st century, and find opportunities for “building a society for all ages”. Its implementation would require the involvement of many stakeholders. One way to achieve this objective was to raise the awareness and facilitate the exchange of experiences among member States in the region on best practices, programmes and polices. The plan addressed three main areas. Firstly, ageing and development, secondly, health and well-being, and thirdly, enabling and supportive environments for ageing.

25. The statement called for a shift in thinking, particularly with regard to stereotypes about the place and role of the elderly in society. The Executive Secretary also reminded the participants in his statement that that region was home to the world’s largest share of older persons, and hence, there has never been a greater need to ensure the provision of basic social needs for the elderly, needs that include food, clothing, medical care and rehabilitation after an illness, integration into the community, security, mobility, education and communication. In concluding, he hoped that everyone would have a better understanding of ageing issues in the light of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and urged them to pay particular attention to the need for early planning and participation in the implementation of that plan (the full text of the statement is attached in Annex II).

26. A second statement was delivered by the Chief Executive of HelpAge International, Mr Todd Petersen, in which he emphasized the importance of establishing relations and forging partnerships with other national and international organizations, especially the United Nations. In addition, he pointed out that while most meetings on ageing addressed problematic areas and rarely go beyond that, the IEP looked at innovative and practical ways for linking ageing to other frameworks for economic and social development; i.e. improving tax collection mechanisms to enable governments in the region to contribute better to the betterment of society as a whole.

27. The President of Kirara No Kai (which is Japanese for Peace on Earth) also delivered an opening statement. She said that poverty alleviation was the main aim of her organization, which since 1992 focused on older persons, particularly women in rural areas.

B. Agenda

28. The provisional agenda of the programme is as follows:

1. Opening of the Meeting.

2. Ageing issues and policies in Asia and the Pacific: presentations.

3. Field visit to income generation and home care projects in the Chiang Mai area.

4. Other matters.

5. Recommendations.

6. Closing of the Meeting.

C. Adoption of the Recommendations

29. The Intercountry Exchange Programme on Successful Practices in Empowering Older Persons adopted a set of recommendations on the subject on 12 November 2003 (see Chapter I).

IV. FIELD VISITS

30. On the second and morning of the third day of the programme, the participants visited several projects for the poor elderly. They met with project managers and staff to share information, learn about experiences and opportunities and listen to problems and concerns. The first project visited was the Fang Elders Club, located about 130 km north of Chiang Mai. That project was based on the successful “Adopt-A-Granny (MAAG) model, which combines income generation with community home care in a locally owned and driven manner. Its success was mostly attributed to the fact that with a small initial investment, the project’s administrator, the Foundation for Older Person’s Development (FOPDEV) of Thailand, used donor aid3 as capital for income generating projects involving active older persons who once empowered, were able to provide goods and services for the disadvantaged or disabled elderly in their own community.

31. During the field visit, the participants were able to obtain first-hand information concerning the care scheme, local application and the services and advice provided by, among others, project trainers and volunteers. They also had an opportunity to learn about the best ways to utilize these services.

32. On the morning of the third day of the programme the participants were split into three groups to visit three different projects: a day centre for the elderly in a rural area (Doi Saket district) for income generation; a intergenerational socio-cultural centre for exercise, herbal treatment and traditional Thai massage (Saraphi district); and a HIV/AID training programme to empower active elderly persons to care for older persons and families affected by HIV/AIDS (south of Chiang Mai).

33. As on the previous day, the participants received and exchanged information not only about the activities of those three projects but also significant issues that needed to be addressed while observing areas for replication or improving upon at home (the detailed Programme is in Annex III).

ANNEX I: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

CHINA
Mr Zhang Zhixin, Vice-President, China National Committee on Ageing, Beijing

Mr Dang Junwu, Deputy Director, Policy Research and Investigation Department, China National Committee on Ageing, Beijing, China

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Mr Abolghasem Najafi, Bureau of Rehabilitation and Disabled Persons, Islamic Republic of Iran Welfare Organization, Tehran

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Mr Bounneuang Sidavong, Head, Division Policy of Elderly, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Vientiane

UZBEKISTAN

Mr Alisher Inakov, Head, Department of Social Aid and Organizing Assistance, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, Tashkent

_______________

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Ageing Resource Centre (ARC-B)
Mr Mainul Islam, Coordinator, ARC-B, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Women’s Health Coalition (BWHC)
Mr Masudul Haque, Director, Community Based Programme, BWHC, Dhaka, Bangladesh
BAAIGM Mr Atiqur Rahman, BAAIGM, PROBIN, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Centre for Population and Development Studies
Mr Du Peng, Deputy Director, Centre for Population and Development Studies, Beijing

Child and Women Development Centre (CWDC)
Mr Mukti Nath Sharma Khanal, District Chairman, Executive Committee Member and Working Committee Member, CWDC, Kathmandu, Nepal

Coalition of Services of the Elderly, Inc. (COSE) Ms Socorro Sarabia, Executive Director, COSE, Quezon City, Philippines
Community Aid & Sponsorship Programme (CASP)
Mr Sharatchandra D. Gokhale, President, CASP, Pune, India
Community Care Network
Mr Apidej Chairacha, Community Care Network, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Elderly Initiative for Development
Mr Abdus Samad, Chairman, Elderly Initiative for Development, Manikgonj, Bangladesh

Foundation for Older Persons’ Development (FOPDEV)
Mr Sawang Kaewkantha, Executive Director, FOPDEV, Chiang Mai, Thailand
GRAVIS Mr Roshan Lal Kukreti, GRAVIS, Jodhpur, India

Heifer International – Mekong Region Programme
Mr Bandit Yuenyongtham, Heifer International – Mekong Region Programme, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Ms Sopapan Promwas, Administrative Assistant, International Resources, Heifer International – Mekong Region Programme, Chiang Mai, Thailand

HelpAge Cambodia Mr Dim Vy, Project Manager, HelpAge Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

HelpAge India Ms Shubha Soneja, Director, Research and Strategic Development, HelpAge India, New Delhi, India

HelpAge Korea
Mr Cho Hyun-Se, Executive Secretary, HelpAge Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea

HelpAge Sri Lanka
Mr N.W.E. Wijewantha, Executive Director, HelpAge Sri Lanka, Boralesgamuwa, Sri Lanka

Lao Red Cross
Mr Boualakoth Keomayphith, Vict President, Lao Red Cross, Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Mongolian Association of Elderly People
Mr Jambyn Tsendsuren, Chairman, Mongolian Association for Elderly People, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Nepal Participatory Action Network
Mr Ashbin Kumar Pudasaini, Executive Member, Nepal Participatory Action Network, Kathmandu, Nepal

Pakistan Medico International Mr Muhammed Shafi Boikhan, Director, Pakistan Medico International, Karachi, Pakistan

Research Centre for Ageing Support
Mr Pham Quang Lung, Vice Director, Research Centre for Ageing Support, Hanoi, Viet Nam

Senior Citizen Association of Thailand Mr Akin Rabibhadana, Senior Citizen Association of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Senior Citizens Council of Thailand Mr Pongsiri Prathanadi, Senior Citizens Council of Thailand, Chiang Mai Thailand

Vietnam Association of the Elderly
Mr Ngo Tat To, Vietnam Association of the Elderly, Hanoi, Viet Nam

Viet Nam Women’s Union
Ms Bui Thi Diep, International Relations Department, Viet Nam Women’s Union, Hanoi, Viet Nam

Yayasan Emong Lansia (HelpAge Indonesia)
Ms Eva A.J. Sabdono, Executive Director, Yayasan Emong Lansia, Jakarta, Indonesia

SECRETARIAT

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Mr Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary

Ms Keiko Okaido, Deputy Executive Secretary

Mr Jerrold W. Huguet, Chief, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division

Mr Osama Rajkhan, Social Affairs Officer, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues Division

HelpAge International (HAI)

Mr Christopher Eldridge, Regional Representative, Asia/Pacific Regional Development Centre

Mr Dharmapriya Wesumperuma

Mr Godfred Paul

Ms Usa Khiewrord, Regional Project Manager

Kirara No Kai

Ms Hiroko Kawahara, President

Mr Hiromi Inayoshi, Vice President, Art Division

ANNEX II

MESSAGE FROM MR KIM HAK-SU
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
AT THE INTERCOUNTRY EXCHANGE PROGRAMME ON SUCCESSFUL
PRACTICES IN EMPOWERING OLDER PERSONS
10-12 NOVEMBER 2003, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Intercountry Exchange Programme on Successful Practices in Empowering Older Persons. I am pleased, at the collaboration between UNESCAP, HelpAge International and Kirara No Kia, from Japan, in making this event possible. We are grateful to the United Nations Population Fund for its generous support of this programme.

UNESCAP has been active in exploring ways to bring about effective partnerships between governments, civil society, the business community and the United Nations. We believe that these partnerships contribute to realizing the commitments made at the various United Nations world conferences over the past decade. The Political Declaration and the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing that emerged from the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002 marked a turning point in the ways the international community would address the challenges posed by population ageing in the 21st century, challenges that are being turned into opportunities for “building a society for all ages”.

Years of hard work and cooperation between governments, civil society and the United Nations have brought about this turning point, both at the global and regional levels. Asia and the Pacific is home to the world’s largest share of older persons. A great need has arisen for meeting basic social needs of older persons, needs that include food, housing, health and social care and rehabilitation, participation, integration into the community, social security and independence. In Asia and the Pacific, governments have adopted a regional platform known as the Shanghai Implementation Strategy. This strategy provides guidelines on the implementation of the international and regional commitments on ageing made under the Madrid and Macao Plans of Action on Ageing, and a platform for governments and other actors in the region to cooperate and share their experience concerning programmes and policies designed to meet the challenges of ageing.

The regional platform for action focuses on three key areas related to ageing issues. These are: (a) ageing and development, (b) health and well being, and (c) enabling and supportive environments for ageing. In keeping with the regional platform, UNESCAP will continue to provide technical assistance and advice and facilitate the exchange of experience among members States and civil society.

The intercountry exchange programme aims to bring about a strengthened awareness of the issues relating to ageing and to enhance collaboration among all concerned in achieving the above goals. We look forward to joining you in many more activities for the benefits of older people and national development in the years to come.

Thank you.

ANNEX III:PROGRAMME

Monday, 10 November 2003

0900-1000 Registration of participants

1000-1030 Opening of the Meeting

• Message from Mr Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP
• Statement by Mr Christopher Eldridge, Regional Representative for the Asia-Pacific Region, HelpAge International
• Statement by Ms Hiroko Kawahara, Kirara No Kai, Japan

1030-1045 Coffee break

1045-1200 Ageing issues and policies in Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP and HAI)

1200-1300 Lunch

1300-1530 Field visit to HelpAge International Office and Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University

1800-2000 Social event (Kan Toke Dinner)

Tuesday, 11 November 2003

0930-1200 Field visits to selected projects in the Chiang Mai area

1200-1300 Lunch

1300-1600 Field visits to selected projects in the Chiang Mai area

Wednesday, 12 November 2003
0900-1030 Workshop on best practices

1030-1045 Coffee break

1045-1200 Workshop on best practices

1200-1300 Lunch

1300-1530 Conclusion and recommendations

1530-1630 Closing of the Meeting