Intergovernmental platform - expert group meetings - capacity-building meetings - celebratory events

As COVID-19 continues to cause untold damage across the world, it is increasingly apparent that older persons are severely affected. Those aged 60 years and above infected with Covid-19 have a substantially greater risk of dying of the disease, and those over 80 are dying at five times the average rate. In addition, approximately 66 per cent of individuals aged 70 years and over suffer from at least one underlying condition, which raises their overall risk of developing severe symptoms.

Recognising the potential for migration to contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the special vulnerabilities of migrants, member States adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in December 2018. This ground-breaking agreement committed member States to cooperate to achieve 23 objectives to ensure that migration was beneficial for all – countries of origin, countries of destination and migrants themselves.

Pension systems are a core area of public policy, central to ensuring income security in old age but also with profound impacts on wider families and societies. Across Asia and the Pacific there is growing recognition of the importance of effective pension systems in the context of changing family structures, demographic ageing and broader efforts to expand social protection systems to promote inclusive growth.