Efforts to reach the MDGs would be incomplete unless older persons who have taken the responsibility of looking after themselves and their orphaned grandchildren were included in the process, United Nations resident coordinator in Zambia Kanni Wignaraja has observed.
According to a message meant to commemorate the International Day of older persons under the theme “Older persons and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”, Wignaraja said efforts to reach the MDGs would be incomplete and its gains would be rolled back if order persons who had taken on the “dual responsibility” of looking after themselves and their orphaned grandchildren were excluded in the process.
She noted that a critical factor that magnified the concerns of the aged in Zambia was the spread of HIV and AIDS pandemic.
“This has caused a significant demographic dent in the population structure of Zambia, with the dependency ratio increasing as the percentage of young and old increases in relation to the number of those in their mid-adult years,’ she said.
Wignaraja said two-thirds of orphans were in the care of grandparents whose economic status was weak.”
She said in accordance with this year’s theme “Older persons and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”, progress should be made towards achieving the MDGs by empowering older persons, paying attention to participation in society.
“This day also acknowledges older persons as an increasingly major segment of society and opens an avenue for dialogue on the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the United Nations Principles for Older Persons,” she stated.
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