Blog by Donatella Benjamin, SI Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
I had the privilege to attend the first organisational meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the human rights of older persons, which convened from 18 to 19 February 2026 at the United Nations in Geneva. The Working Group was created by the Human Rights Council (HRC) in its resolution A/HRC/RES/58/13, with the mandate of elaborating and submitting to the HRC a draft international legally binding instrument on the human rights of older persons with the objective of promoting, protecting and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights by older persons. Soroptimist International strongly supports the ongoing process toward a new UN Convention on the rights of older persons.
It was very exciting to participate in person to the start of a new process to develop a legally binding international instrument to protect and promote the rights of older persons. We stood at a decisive moment, with a great number of representatives of Civil Society, after decades of preparatory work. As governments begin negotiations, older people and civil society must be fully included. The participation must be meaningful and equal — not symbolic or merely advisory. A convention shaped with older persons, not just for them, will be stronger, fairer, and grounded in lived reality.
At the end of the first day, I read a statement on the importance of the protection of the rights of older women : across the world, people are living longer, and women make up an increasing share of the older population. Older women remain among the least visible when it comes to rights, protection, and access to justice. Many experience violence, neglect, coercive control, or financial and digital abuse, often unreported and unrecognised. Some depend on others for care or income. Others face compounded barriers due to poverty, disability, widowhood, rural isolation, or digital exclusion. Ageism and sexism intersect, making discrimination harder to see and harder to address.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) recently circulated its Policy Brief No. 186 entitled “Gender Matters in an Ageing World: The Case for Gender-Responsive Policies” https://desapublications.un.org/policy-briefs/sdgs/65/year/2026
The brief provides an evidence-based overview of the gender dimensions of population ageing, drawing on the latest World Population Prospects 2024 and other recent data.
Among its key messages:
- Women constitute the majority of older persons globally, and their numbers—particularly those aged 80+—are projected to increase rapidly, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
- Although women live longer than men, they are more likely to experience poorer health in later life, including higher prevalence of disability and chronic conditions.
- Older women are more likely to live alone and to face economic insecurity linked to interrupted employment histories and lower pension coverage.
- They are both major providers and recipients of care, reflecting cumulative gender inequalities across the life course.
- Gender-responsive policies—integrating a life-course perspective into social protection, health systems, labour markets and care policies—are essential to ensure dignity, equality and full participation in older age.
This policy brief offers valuable data and policy guidance that can inform Soroptimist International ongoing advocacy related to gender equality, poverty, social protection and the rights of older women.
This brief is also very timely, since the the emerging issue of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), held this year in New York on March 9th – 19th, was Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all older women.
