click here to register
We welcome you to the 51st SHE & Rights session on Friday, 16th October 2026. We cannot achieve health and gender rights of older persons are on the blind-spot, especially those who are marginalised, vulnerable and often left behind. Human rights of older persons are non-negotiables and not an ‘afterthought,’ and so are the rights of people in all their diversities throughout their life-course.
While addressing human rights of older persons, we need to focus specifically on those ‘who fall through the cracks’ in such discourses, such as women, gender diverse persons, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV, indigenous peoples, and other marginalised and vulnerable populations.
There are mechanisms like Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which is a unique mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years. Currently the fourth review cycle is underway with the next UPR review session in November 2026.
Thanks to years of work advanced at the UN Human Rights Council, governments, persons with lived experience and other stakeholders will convene at the 2nd session of Intergovernmental Working Group on Human Rights of Older Persons during 26-30 October 2026 to draft a legally binding instrument/ treaty for human rights of older persons.
As global population ageing accelerates, UPR serves as a vital mechanism to pull older persons out of invisibility in public policies to protect their human rights. However, when analysing the recommendations related to older persons made in the UPR since its first cycle (2008), only 681 out of a total of more than 124,539 recommendations addressed their situation. This represents just 0.5% of the total recommendations.
Stronger reporting and implementation of human rights of older persons in all their diversities via UPR mechanism, can further help increase engagement and accountability of States in drafting of legally binding instrument/ treaty on human rights of older persons, as well as, hopefully, in its implementation.
This SHE & Rights is hosted by Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI) and CNS with partners including Global Network of people living with HIV (GNP+), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media) and Development Justice for Older Persons (DJ4OP).
There are mechanisms like Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which is a unique mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years. Currently the fourth review cycle is underway with the next UPR review session in November 2026.
Thanks to years of work advanced at the UN Human Rights Council, governments, persons with lived experience and other stakeholders will convene at the 2nd session of Intergovernmental Working Group on Human Rights of Older Persons during 26-30 October 2026 to draft a legally binding instrument/ treaty for human rights of older persons.
As global population ageing accelerates, UPR serves as a vital mechanism to pull older persons out of invisibility in public policies to protect their human rights. However, when analysing the recommendations related to older persons made in the UPR since its first cycle (2008), only 681 out of a total of more than 124,539 recommendations addressed their situation. This represents just 0.5% of the total recommendations.
Stronger reporting and implementation of human rights of older persons in all their diversities via UPR mechanism, can further help increase engagement and accountability of States in drafting of legally binding instrument/ treaty on human rights of older persons, as well as, hopefully, in its implementation.
This SHE & Rights is hosted by Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI) and CNS with partners including Global Network of people living with HIV (GNP+), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media) and Development Justice for Older Persons (DJ4OP).
Date: Friday, 16th October 2026
Time
- 12noon South Africa/ Zimbabwe/ Zambia/ Eswatini/ Geneva
- 1pm Kenya/ Uganda
- 11am Nigeria/ UK
- 10am Sierra Leone/ Ghana
- 3:30pm Sri Lanka/ India
- 5pm Thailand/ Jakarta
- 6pm KL/ Manila/ Bali/ Singapore
Click here to register
Panel
- Khaled Hassine, Secretary, Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls
- Rachel Rieille, Data Manager, Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI)
- Ash Ramsarup, noted journalist and former Producer, SABC South Africa
- Tariro Kutadza, Zimbabwe
- Ishwari Swar, Founder-Chairperson, Senior Citizens Welfare Association Nepal
- Daxa Patel, co-founder and former President, National Coalition of People living with HIV in India (NCPI+)
- Nicoletta Policek, co-Founder and Director, PRISMA European Community Driven Observatory on Ageing and HIV
- Dr Imran Pambudi, Director - Vulnerable Groups Health Services, Ministry of Health, Indonesia
- Dr Pam Rajput, person with lived experience and Emeritus Professor, Panjab University and noted feminist leader
- Shobha Shukla, CNS Executive Director and SHE & Rights host and coordinator
