Barisal Correspondent :
International Day of Older Persons was observed in Barisal on Wednesday calling for making older people a power for development as we cannot afford to leave behind hundreds of millions of older persons. A procession on city roads and a discussion meeting at the conference room of the deputy commissioner held on this occasion. The programmes with the theme of the 2014 commemoration as “Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All”, was jointly arranged and participated by district administration, social services department and Probeen Hitoishee Sangha Barisal units.
It was participated and addressed among others by Md. Gaus, Divisional Commissioner, Shohidul Alam, Deputy Commissioner, Manoj Kumar Gharami, Deputy Director, Social Services Directorate Dr, Md. Yusuf, President, Abdur Rashid Munshi, Secretary , Probeen Hetoishee Sangha. They quoting the theme of “Leaving No-One Behind”, cautioned about the necessitates of understanding that demography matters for sustainable development. They said that population dynamics will shape the key developmental challenges that the world in confronting in the 21st century.
A demographic revolution is underway throughout the world. If our ambition is to “Build the Future We Want”, we must address the population around 600 million persons aged 60 years and over. This total will double by 2025 and will reach virtually two billion by 2050, the speakers noticed.
Already now, older persons making major contributions to society. In our fast ageing world, older people will increasingly playing a critical role – through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force, the participants said citing examples from different countries including Bangladesh.
Millions of children and adult patients are cared for at home by their parents. On their death, orphaned children left behind are mainly looked after by their grandparents, the participants told.
It is not only in developing countries that older persons’ role in development also critical as caring for dependent and sick individuals of all ages is mostly done by older people (particularly older women), they said.
Such contributions to development can only be ensured if older persons enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place, they said outlining its approaches and perspectives for healthy ageing throughout the life course.
In the programme Mizanur Rahman Bhuiya, Jibunnahar Begum, were given crest as benevolent older persons.
On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly (by resolution 45/106) designated 1 October the International Day of Older Persons.
