Total: 413 good practice(s). Download
Japan's public pension system includes measures to protect future pension entitlements during periods of child-rearing, helping to reduce the long-term pension impact of caregiving responsibilities, which are often borne by women. Employees who take childcare leave are exempt from paying Employees' Pension Insurance contributions during leave, while the period continues to be treated as if contributions had been paid. In addition, workers raising children under age three may retain a higher pension calculation base if their earnings decline because of reduced working hours or other childcare-related adjustments. These measures support work-family reconciliation and help prevent pension losses associated with caregiving.
The measures ensure that parents, particularly women, do not experience reduced pension rights solely because they take childcare leave or temporarily reduce working hours to care for young children. During childcare leave, pension coverage is maintained despite contribution exemptions, and future benefits are not reduced for the exempted period. In addition, eligible workers may have future pension benefits calculated using pre-childcare earnings even when childcare responsibilities temporarily lower their wages. These mechanisms help mitigate one source of gender disparities in pension outcomes.
The measures were developed as part of broader efforts to support families, promote gender equality and address declining fertility. Under the public pension system, parents taking childcare leave are exempt from pension contributions, but those periods are treated as contribution-paid periods for benefit calculations. To address income reductions associated with childcare, Japan also introduced a special pension calculation rule that allows pension benefits to be calculated on the basis of pre-childcare earnings when remuneration declines while raising a child under three years of age. Employers submit applications through the Japan Pension Service.
The practice helps address a common source of pension inequality by protecting pension entitlements during periods devoted to raising children. Rather than requiring parents to choose between caregiving and future retirement security, the system recognizes childcare as a socially valuable activity and reduces the pension penalties associated with work interruptions or reduced earnings. The approach supports labour force participation, gender equality and income security in later life. By integrating childcare-related protections into the mainstream pension system, Japan provides long-term support through an established and sustainable mechanism.
Employees' Pension Insurance Act (English translation). Japanese Law Translation Database System
Japan Pension Service guidance on childcare leave contribution exemptions (referenced through pension administration guidance).
Japan Pension Service (JPS)
The Personal Alert Button (PAB) is a government-developed emergency response service designed to support older persons living alone. Installed in seniors' homes, the wireless device enables users to request immediate assistance by pressing a single button during emergencies. The device provides 24/7 monitoring, two-way voice communication through 4G connectivity and links users directly to a Senior Activity Centre (SAC) or CareLine, a 24-hour telecare service operated by Changi General Hospital. The service enables rapid assessment and timely assistance while supporting independent living.
Older persons, particularly seniors living alone or those at risk of social isolation and medical emergencies.
The PAB strengthened emergency response capacity for older persons living independently by providing continuous telecare support and immediate access to assistance. Beginning in 2025, the programme expanded to approximately 170 additional public rental blocks, extending coverage to around 27,000 more seniors and increasing access to home-based emergency support.
The Personal Alert Button was developed by GovTech in partnership with healthcare and community care agencies to improve emergency support for older persons living alone. The service integrates a wireless alert device with a 24-hour monitoring network connecting Senior Activity Centres and CareLine. When activated, the device sends an alert, enables two-way communication and allows responders to assess the situation before providing assistance or dispatching emergency support. The programme has been progressively expanded through collaboration among government agencies and community partners to reach more seniors living in public rental housing.
The PAB demonstrates how digital technology can strengthen community-based support for older persons while enabling ageing in place. Its integration of smart technology, telecare services and community response mechanisms provides a practical, scalable and replicable model for improving safety and independent living among older adults.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) began as a limited scheme in 1948, with free medicines for pensioners. Today the PBS provides timely, reliable and affordable access to necessary medicines for Australians. The PBS is part of the Australian Government’s broader National Medicines Policy. The aim of the National Medicines Policy is to meet medication and related service needs, so that both optimal health outcomes and economic objectives are achieved. Under the PBS, the government subsidises the cost of medicine for most medical conditions. Most of the listed medicines are dispensed by pharmacists, and used by patients at home. Some medicines are only accessible at specialised medical services, usually hospitals.
Originally older persons, and now all Australian residents who hold a current Medicare card.
Before 1948, Australians generally paid for medicines out‑of‑pocket, with limited access through public hospitals or Friendly Society dispensaries. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) began as a limited program in 1948, offering free medicines to pensioners and a list of 139 “life‑saving and disease‑preventing” medicines free to the general public. Though PBS began as a limited scheme, by 1960 it had grown into a comprehensive program covering a wide range of prescription medicines. Over time, the PBS expanded to include more than 900 subsidised medicines by 2026 as part of the Australian Government’s broader National Medicines Policy.
The scheme expanded coverage for all Australian citizens.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme: a quick guide – Parliament of Australia
The Philippine Plan of Action for Senior Citizens (PPASC) 2023–2028 is a five‑year national framework that aims to build an inclusive, age‑friendly society by safeguarding the rights, health, and wellbeing of the country’s 9.22 million older persons while empowering them to remain active, productive members of their communities. It strengthens governance and coordination among agencies, promotes seniors’ civic participation and continued employment, enhances access to preventive and age‑responsive healthcare, and creates supportive environments aligned with the WHO age‑friendly cities framework across key domains such as transportation, housing, social inclusion, and community support services. The plan also supports policy reforms—including pension and retirement law amendments and stronger protections against elder abuse—to ensure financial security, dignity, and equal opportunities for Filipino seniors.
It is a clear action plan assigning responsibilities to Government entities and civil society. The eventual beneficiaries will be older persons in the Philippines.
The PPASC 2023–2028 was created through a collaborative, multi‑stakeholder process led by the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC). It was developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and key national government agencies, together with other development partners. The process included planning activities, workshops, briefings, and a national validation summit, which ensured technical input, inter‑agency alignment, and stakeholder validation at national level.
It is a plan with defined expected outcomes and actions.
The Vietnam Pickleball Association (VPA) and Pickleball clubs at local levels organize regular Pickleball tournaments with 60+ age categories.
Older persons in Viet Nam who want to stay active.
Pickleball is becoming a very popular sport in Viet Nam in all age categories. Tournaments encourage seniors to stay active.
Pickleball is a sport that is friendly for older persons because it is a low impact but effective exercise. It encourages muscle engagement in legs, core, shoulders and arms and improves balance and coordination, thus supports fall prevention. It can also support intergenerational interaction.
Busan Metropolitan City implemented an enhanced comprehensive heat wave response plan for the official heat wave period (May 15–September 30), ahead of the Korea Meteorological Administration's new three-tier advisory system (advisory, warning, severe heat wave warning) plus a tropical night advisory, effective June 1 2026. The plan has four pillars. First, strengthening situation management: a new mobile situation room and an emergency-room surveillance system for heat-related illnesses, coordinated across the city, district/county governments, education office, and labor authorities. Second, protecting vulnerable groups: welfare workers checking roughly 32,000 at-risk seniors every other day (daily or twice-daily during severe warnings), plus five basic safety rules distributed to heat-vulnerable workplaces (313 sites), covering water, cooling equipment, rest breaks, cooling gear, and emergency reporting. Third, expanding heat shelters: 1,500 cooling shelters and 4,200 heat reduction facilities inspected and operating, funded by KRW 1.9 billion, plus expanded subway and bus shelters, additional shade structures, cooling fog systems, and partnerships with KT (135 branches) and BNK Busan Bank (196 branches) as neighborhood cooling spaces. Fourth, reinforced safety oversight for outdoor festivals, from pre-event inspections through real-time on-site monitoring, alongside the "Busan Safety ON" platform for integrated heat information.
Older persons in Busan city.
Busan developed the plan in response to the Korea Meteorological Administration's revised three-tier heat wave advisory system, set to take effect June 1, prompting the city to upgrade from a two-tier structure. The city proactively allocated funding early, KRW 1 billion in heat wave response funds and KRW 900 million in special adjustment grants to district and county governments in February and May, to prepare shelters and facilities ahead of summer. Implementation involved multiple stakeholders: city departments, all 16 district/county governments, the Busan Regional Employment and Labor Office, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, police, fire authorities, and private partners (KT, BNK Busan Bank). Facilities (1,500 shelters, 4,200 heat reduction structures) were fully inspected in April before activation.
This is a good practice because it combines proactive, multi-tiered coordination (government agencies, private companies, and community workers) with early funding allocation and facility inspections completed before peak summer, ensuring readiness rather than reactive response. It is innovative in its public-private partnerships, such as converting KT and BNK Busan Bank branches into cooling shelters, and its use of a digital platform ("Busan Safety ON") for real-time heat information. Its structured, replicable framework, covering situation management, vulnerable group protection, shelter expansion, and event safety, makes it adaptable for other cities facing similar climate risks.
Directive No.20 is about the Policy and Mechanism related to the national disaster management and relief activities. The main purpose of the directive is to create systematic coordination among agencies involve in disaster management as well as relief and rehabilitation activities. This includes protection and care of older adults.
The whole population of Malaysia, including vulnerable groups such as older persons
The directive provides clear guidelines on the management of disasters, including the responsibilities and functions of various agencies involved. It also emphasizes the need for an integrated disaster management system to effectively handle disasters on land.
The development of NSC Directive No. 20 involved a collaborative effort among various agencies and stakeholders in Malaysia. The directive aimed to establish a systematic and integrated disaster management and relief mechanism to handle disasters effectively. It was developed to reduce casualties and minimize damage to properties and the environment, and to ensure effective coordination among agencies involved in disaster management and relief activities.
The directive covers total disaster risk management, increases in complexity, engagement of private, NGO, and community involvement, and consideration of international treaties.
Local housing developers are involved in several development to cater for the hoousing needs of older Malaysians. Several of such housing developments for seniors have emerged in Malaysia in the last decade.
Older persons in Malaysia
These initiatives have created safer and more inclusive living environments for seniors, enabling them to maintain independence while staying close to family. They have improved access to healthcare, reduced risks of accidents through thoughtful design, and promoted active ageing through community activities and recreational spaces. Retirement villages such as Green Acres and Eden-on-the-Park have provided seniors with opportunities for social engagement and healthy living, reflecting a growing trend toward independent and active lifestyles among older Malaysians.
Developers conducted research on seniors’ daily needs and incorporated universal design principles into homes and townships. Implementation involved strategic planning to include healthcare facilities, safe pedestrian pathways, ramps, and community spaces. Projects like Sunway City, Bandar Bukit Raja, and Gamuda Cove were designed to integrate accessibility with lifestyle amenities, while retirement villages were established to offer independent living with optional care services.
This approach addresses the evolving needs of seniors by promoting ageing in place within inclusive communities. It combines safety, accessibility, and social engagement, ensuring older persons can live independently while maintaining a high quality of life.
The Joint Programme "Bridging the Digital Health Divide" in Kyrgyzstan includes older persons and pensioners, alongside women, children, and persons with disabilities. For this population, the relevant interventions were the digitalization of disability certification (removing the need for older or mobility-limited individuals to travel repeatedly to submit paperwork) and the broader integration of the national Digital Health Information System (d-HIS) into a unified Digital Health Profile, giving all 7.1 million citizens, including the elderly, centralized, seamless access to their own health records, lab results, and immunization history without needing to navigate multiple disconnected systems.
People living in remote and mountainous areas, rural health care workers, women and girls (including pregnant women), children, people with disabilities (including children), adolescents and youth. Efforts will be made to ensure that at least 60% of beneficiaries are women and girls, recognizing their often-disproportionate barriers to healthcare access.
The Programme targets at least 120,000 people with disabilities (including older persons) receiving digital disability certificates nationwide, alongside a targeted 20% increase in patients accessing their medical data through the Digital Health Profile. For older citizens, the pilot electronic submission system for disability documentation in Bishkek had already processed roughly 2,000 documents between June 2023 and March 2024.
The implementation plan and structural logic were discussed and finalized with national partners, including the Ministry of Health and the e-Health Centre, considering national priorities and local needs.
Introduced under Article 16.1 of the Labour Code, this law prohibits discrimination in employment, including on the grounds of age. It establishes equal treatment in recruitment, working conditions, remuneration, promotion, and termination of employment. Implemented at the national level, the policy applies to all workers and employers and aims to prevent age-based exclusion and unfair labour practices, thereby supporting equal opportunities and inclusive labour markets.
Vulnerable groups, particularly those at risk of being discriminated, including older persons
Non-discrimination in employment in Azerbaijan is grounded in the country’s legal and institutional framework. Article 16 of the Labour Code expressly prohibits discrimination in labour relations during hiring, changes in employment, and termination on grounds such as citizenship, sex, race, nationality, language, place of residence, social origin, age, family circumstances, religion, political views, trade union membership, or other factors unrelated to professional qualifications and job performance. Employers are barred from directly or indirectly limiting rights or establishing privileges based on these prohibited grounds. Legal protections are reinforced through the Law on Employment, which guarantees equal opportunities to exercise the right to free choice of job and employment irrespective of personal characteristics. Persons who believe they have faced discrimination may seek recourse in courts under the Labour Code.
The non-discrimination provisions in Azerbaijan’s labour framework are a good practice because they codify clear legal prohibitions against discrimination across multiple grounds in employment relations, linking them to both the Labour Code and the Law on Employment. This provides a comprehensive legal basis for equal treatment in hiring, conditions of work, and termination. The model is replicable, as the legal norms align with international standards (including ILO Convention 111 on discrimination in employment) and can be adopted or strengthened in other legal systems. It is sustainable insofar as the rights are enforceable through the judicial system, offering legal remedies to individuals who experience discrimination in employment.
