Nigeria has received the confidence and the nomination of African Member-States to lead Africa on the Bureau of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG).
This was effected during the 13th Session of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing ongoing in New York.
By Nigeria’s authenticity and consistency in leading the charge at the United Nations on concrete ways to realize the global mechanism for strengthening the protection of human rights of older persons and also by Nigeria’s current local records of concrete policy actions and legislative efforts to accelerate inclusion of older persons, Nigeria becomes a very sought out and needful leader in this regard.
Nigeria, in taking a seat on the UN-OEWGA Bureau, has kindled hope of many member-states, National Human Rights Institutions and
Non-Governmental Organisations, that the UN-OEWGA process would now, gather momentum after a slow 12 years, as Nigeria reiterates and stands by its UN Statements stressing the importance of delivering the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 67/139 of 20th December, 2012.
The resolution requests the Open-Ended Working Group to present to the General Assembly, at the earliest possible date, a proposal containing, inter alai, the main elements that should be included in an International Instrument to promote and protect the rights and dignity of older persons, which are not currently addressed sufficiently by existing International human rights instruments.
Nigeria’s membership and partnership with like-minded member-states calling for drafting normative texts towards negotiations by Member-States, have facilitated the needed break through during the 13th session, in what had become a monotonous cycle.
UN-OEWGA is the only group in the United Nations that brings together Member-states, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), NGOs and UN Agencies on the issue of a multilateral legally binding instrument to strengthen protection of the Rights of older persons
It was established by the UN General Assembly in 2010.