The Ministry of Gender and Family has today marked the International Day of Older Persons 2016 in partnership with Baa Atoll Council and NGOs. Minister of Gender and Family Hon. Zenysha Shaheed Zaki, CEO and staff of the Maldives Pension Administration Office, senior officials from the Atoll Council, Island Council and other Government entities, as well senior citizens attended the special event held this morning in Baa Thulhaadhoo.
Speaking at the event, Minister Zenysha stressed the importance of building a caring and protective environment for older persons and increasing their participation in the community as well as providing facilities for them to live more independently. She also noted that the Government gives special priority to this sector and highlighted recent efforts to strengthen the existing mechanism to provide older persons with better services and care. In this regard, Minister Zenysha also mentioned that the Ministry of Gender and Family is currently working on finalizing the National Policy for Older Persons.
Minister Zenysha also launched a social media campaign in the name of “Aguvazankurun”, to commemorate the services of older persons at Island, Atoll and National level. The main aim of this campaign is to highlight and appreciate the services by older persons. In addition, to mark this year’s International Day of Older Persons, Ministry of Gender and Family in partnership with Baa Thulhaadhoo Council and NGOs, Silvershine and Thulhaadhoo Sports Club also carried out special activities to bridge the intergeneral gap between the elderly and youth.
The International Day of Older Persons is observed worldwide on the 1st of October every year since 1991, to value the contributions of older people to society and raise awareness on the issues and challenges of ageing in today’s world. This year’s theme – “Take a stand against ageism” challenges everyone to consider the negative attitudes and discrimination based on age and the detrimental impact it has on older people.
01 October 2016