Summary

This working paper, prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), provides an update to the 2021 Working Paper on normative standards in international law regarding older persons, which itself elaborated on the 2012 Analytical Outcome Paper submitted by OHCHR to the third working session in August 2012 of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing.

In this analytical update, the question of the adequacy of the normative framework of the international human rights system and its implementation mechanisms for the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons will be examined through an intersectional lens within the context of several key emerging issues.

The report takes into account insights gained during sessions of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) that have been held since 2021 (especially its eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth sessions, from 2021 to 2024); the 2023 and 2025 sessions of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development; the Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025; work of the Independent Expert on the human rights of older persons; WHO, ILO, UNDESA and UN regional economic commissions; voices of older persons and their representative organizations, as well as national human rights institutions and a range of other stakeholders.

The findings of this update are in line with the conclusions of the 2021 Working Paper and the 2012 Analytical Outcome Paper, which suggest that the current global human rights framework provides fragmented and inconsistent coverage of the human rights of older persons both in law and practice. The absence of a dedicated normative instrument concerning older persons’ rights and the conceptual limitations of existing instruments remain significant factors contributing to a lack of protection. The adoption of a dedicated legally binding international instrument would be/is an effective way to bring about major changes in the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons across all regions.