Database of good practices on ageing

Adult learners, including jobseekers, employees, and community members

The Centre expanded access to lifelong learning by offering structured programmes, short courses, industry engagement forums, and collaborations with public and private training providers. It strengthened national skills development, supported workforce readiness and increased enrolment in continuous learning programmes.

L3C was developed by the Ministry of Education as part of a strategic initiative to build holistic individuals and an inclusive society. It established policies, frameworks, partnerships and governance mechanisms to ensure high‑quality, industry‑relevant training. The Centre also supports national agencies such as the Manpower Planning Office and the Brunei Employment Centre in aligning learning pathways with workforce needs.

The Centre strengthens lifelong learning culture, expands accessible learning opportunities and enhances employability. Its inclusive approach, partnerships and alignment with national development goals contribute to long‑term community well‑being.

Older persons in Malaysia

The programme has successfully created a vibrant learning community for older persons, fostering social interaction, mental stimulation, and personal growth. It has empowered seniors to acquire new skills, pursue hobbies, and maintain a sense of purpose. U3A Malaysia has become a recognized platform for promoting active ageing and lifelong learning in the country.

U3A Malaysia was developed by the Institute of Gerontology with support from the Government of Malaysia and UNFPA under the 2008–2012 Country Programme. After the success of the LLIFE pilot program, U3A was formalized and registered as the Association for Lifelong Learning of Older Persons in 2010. Activities are primarily hosted at Universiti Putra Malaysia, with administration shared between the Institute and U3A members. Courses are conducted by volunteers and experts, and participation is promoted through community outreach and member-driven planning.

U3A Malaysia promotes lifelong learning, social inclusion, and active ageing among older persons. It provides a flexible, non-formal education model that enhances mental well-being and combats isolation. Its sustainability through member involvement and adaptability to diverse interests makes it replicable and impactful in improving the quality of life for seniors.

Government institutions and organizations responsible for implementing lifelong learning policies and activities.

After having had a dedicated lifelong learning action plan, lifelong learning objectives have been incorporated into broader national education planning documents and Ministry strategies. 
Ministry of National Education Strategic Plan 2019-2023

The Plan was produced through workshops involving responsible/related institutions and civil society representatives, then submitted for further consultation before being presented to the 26th Vocational Education Council and formally adopted by the Supreme Planning Board. Implementation is structured via the attached Action Plan, which assigns a named responsible institution and collaborating institutions to each measure, sets a timeframe (mostly 2014-2018, continuous), and defines measurable performance indicators; General Directorate of Lifelong Learning holds overall coordination and monitoring responsibility.

The plan developed fully accountable implementation mechanism including of dozens of measures, lead agencies, collaborating bodies, deadline, and quantifiable performance indicators, closing the gap between strategy and execution. It is replicable, since the six-priority structure and measure-level accountability format can be reapplied to future planning cycles or adapted by other countries.

All older persons in Timor-Leste as it is a universal pension scheme. 

Decree‑Law No. 19/2008 was developed in response to constitutional obligations requiring Timor‑Leste to provide social security and special protection for elderly people and persons with disabilities, grounded in Sections 56, 20, and 21 of the Constitution. Recognizing widespread poverty and the urgent need for targeted assistance, the Fourth Constitutional Government incorporated the establishment of a support allowance into its policy agenda. The drafting process involved extensive inter‑ministerial consultations among the ministries responsible for social protection, health, finance, and state administration to coordinate eligibility verification, medical certification, payment systems, and administrative structures. The decree also underwent detailed technical formulation covering eligibility criteria, benefit levels, application procedures, and appeals mechanisms, culminating in its formal approval by the Government under constitutional authority (Sections 115(j) and 116(d)) to establish a fully operational support allowance scheme.

It provides basic income security to all older persons in Timor-Leste. 

Older adults and vulnerable community members, especially seniors enrolled in AI-IoT health management services.

In Uiwang City, AI-IoT health management raised healthy behavior improvement rates to 61.8%; in Taean County, mobile health services achieved 100% satisfaction and 78.1% behavior improvement.

The program combined pre-visit education, training on digital devices, and AI-IoT/mobile platforms. Local health centers designed tailored “home visits + app-based” models to deliver continuous, community-based health monitoring.

It effectively integrates AI-IoT with community health services, producing measurable health gains among seniors — a scalable model of tech-enabled, inclusive care.

• https://www.mohw.go.kr/board.es?act=view&bid=0027&list_no=1479216&mid=a10503010100&nPage=2&tag

Data users and policy makers

The programme generated a nationally representative longitudinal survey of over 70,000 mid-aged and older adults, strengthening evidence on health, economic, and social well-being of India’s ageing population. It advanced research capacity and informed policy decisions on ageing and elder care (IIPS).

Commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, IIPS led the project in collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and USC. Data collection applied stratified multistage sampling, CAPI-based interviews, and biomarker measures, ensuring scientific rigor, cross-country comparability, and public data availability.

It established India’s first nationally representative longitudinal ageing study. Ensures internationally comparable, publicly accessible data that strengthens evidence-based policy and research.

Data users and policy makers

Using a survey sample of 5,985 older Filipinos aged 60+, data was generated identifying widespread noncommunicable diseases, functional decline, and economic vulnerability.

Developed by DRDF with ERIA support, LSAHP used a multi-stage national sampling design. Baseline data were collected in 2018, followed by a second wave in 2023, tracking survival, health, and socioeconomic conditions, including COVID-19 impacts. It is the first nationally representative longitudinal study on aging in the Philippines.

It provides the first robust longitudinal evidence on ageing in the Philippines, ensuring data-driven policies and programs that enhance well-being and inclusion of older persons.

The whole population of Malaysia, including vulnerable groups such as older persons

The handbook outlines the country's hazard exposure, vulnerabilities, and coping capacities, and highlights the role of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) in coordinating national disaster management activities. It also discusses the impact of various hazards, such as floods, landslides, and droughts, and the importance of a shared response approach among government, NGOs, and communities.

The development of the Malaysia Disaster Management Reference Handbook involved a collaborative effort to gather information from public domain resources, local and government sources, and subject matter experts.

The handbook is designed to be informative, relevant, reliable, and useful in understanding disaster management and response. It is an example of including "ageing" in disaster management. 

Data users and policy makers

The core components of MARS: health, healthcare utilization, health insurance and long-term care; work, employment and retirement; income and consumption; psycho-social; family support and living arrangement.

MARS is a sister survey that follows the example of the Health and Retirement Survey based in Michigan. Through the collaboration with the Institute of Social Research (ISR), University of Michigan, ISR provides technical support in terms of questionnaire instrument development, particularly the software required to run the survey through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), as well as the training of trainers and field interviewers.

MARS collects longitudinal data on life histories and experineces of middle-aged and older persons over time and ensures comparability with similar global studies on retirement and ageing research. MARS offers evidence-based recommendations and opportunities and policies to address the trends that emerge in the midst of population ageing in Malaysia.

Data users and policy makers

From 14,156 households, 4,059 older persons aged 60 years and above were interviewed. Key findings included information on population structure, family life, support for older persons, living arrangements, socail interaction, internet use and loneliness.

The implementation of the MPFS-5 was under the supervision of a Project Steering Committee chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. The Population Division of NPFDB acted as the secretariat for this survey. It was responsible for the implementation of the survey, from fieldwork up to the preparation of the survey report.

The Malaysian Population and Family Survey (MPFS-5) is a nationally representative large-scale research conducted by the NPFDB.  The survey is an essential source of reference for policy makers, planners, programme implementers and the general public about current issues on family demography in society. 

(PDF) Kajian Penduduk dan Keluarga Malaysia Kelima (KPKM-5)