AGE work is co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union. The contents of

this document are the sole responsibility of AGE Platform Europe and cannot be taken to reflect the views of the

European Commission.

DELIVERABLE D2.10

Beneficiary AGE Platform Europe

Specific Agreement AGEWP2020 – 893802

Programme REC-NETW-OG-2019

Work Package WP2

Type of deliverable Report

Dissemination level Public

Actual date of delivery 8 December

Title of deliverable Meetings on the intersection of ageing

and disability

1. Description of the deliverable

This deliverable, which is part of WP2 presents the organisation of two meetings on

the intersection of ageing and disability. The first was a joint working meeting co-

organised by AGE, OHCHR Europe and the European Disability Forum on the rights

of older persons with disabilities. Due to the COVID-19 context and the unavailability

of the former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, some

adjustments were made to the planning of this meeting ( detailed below) while

keeping in line with the overall objectives of our work programme. The second event

was a capacity-building training for staff of the European Disability Forum. Both

events were organised and delivered by the Secretariat although the positions

presented on behalf of AGE are based on our ongoing work on age and disability

(mainly our taskforces on human rights, dignified ageing and healthy ageing).

2. Key outcomes

a) Joint meeting on the rights of older persons with disabilities

In order to build more awareness of the report produced by the former UN Special

Rapporteur focusing on older persons with disabilities and to discuss how to apply

her recommendations in the EU context AGE had initially foreseen to invite the UN

Special Rapporteur to our annual conference and to use the opportunity of her

presence in Brussels to organise a working meeting with policy officials in the

margins of our conference. However, due to COVID-19, our annual conference was

postponed until end of September and took place online. In the meantime, the

mandate of the Special Rapporteur reached an end and she also moved to another

high-level position as Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United Nations and so she

was no longer available for our meeting. Because the three partners (AGE, EDF and

OHCHR Europe) believed that this event remained highly relevant and timely in light

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of COVID-19 and ongoing policy developments, the decision was taken to adapt the

focus and programme of the event to reflect this new context. The UN Independent

Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons who had earlier

issued a report on the impact of COVID-19 on older persons was invited to provide

some initial reflections based on her findings which would become the baseline to:

1) Discuss key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU, as exposed and/or enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic;

2) Explore concrete pathways and measures which would help to recover better from the crisis in the EU;

3) Identify suggestions and recommendations to the EU in particular in the context of the formulation of the Green Paper on Ageing, the new Disability Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the proposal for new EU legislation in the field of non-discrimination.

The meeting was attended by 32 participants including the United Nations

Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and

representatives of EU institutions, Member States and important civil society and

human rights actors in the region. The event highlighted gaps in human rights

protection exposed by COVID-19 and helped identify recommendations to close

those gaps and build back better. One of the key recommendations made was the

need to break down silos that often leave older persons with disabilities between the

cracks of different support systems and which exist both at EU and national levels.

The meeting was held under Chatham House rules but a short outcome paper has

been produced and disseminated among participants and more widely. The

discussions also fed into our contribution to the Roadmap of the UN Disability

Strategy (see D2.3) and also to a statement made in the frame of roundtable at the

13th session of the Conference of State Parties to the CRPD focusing on older

persons with disabilities.

b) Training on old-age and disability for EDF staff

Upon request of the European Disability Forum (EDF), AGE staff delivered a short

awareness-raising session on older people with disabilities. The aim of this session

was for the EDF Secretariat to gain better understanding of:

o The intersectionality and specific needs of and challenges faced by

older men and women with disabilities;

o Key issues leading to/deriving from age (e.g.: poverty, pay gap and

retirement, communication and portraying of older people in the

media);

o AGE’s current main policy/advocacy priorities in order to explore areas

where AGE and EDF could work together more effectively, beyond

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those fields where the two organisations already work quite closely,

such as accessibility.

The training was split into two parts, the first one being more theoretical and the

second more practical. In the first part AGE presented key concepts and ideas. In

the second part two break-out sessions were held, one focusing on policy issues and

another on administrative, communication and membership issues.

In terms of concrete opportunities to enhance the collaboration between the two

organisations, the following were noted: the upcoming green paper on ageing; the

new EU disability rights strategy; the ongoing impact of COVID-19, digitalisation and

UN discussions on the SDGs and a new UN convention are relevant for both

advocacy groups. A general comment was also that the UNCRPD could be used

more widely and consistently by AGE and its member organisations even if they

don’t self-identify as persons with disabilities. Both organisations also noted the

impact of the pandemic on work practices and membership engagement. An area for

further work might also be how to frame strategically issues at the intersection of

ageing and disability and how to avoid the vulnerability narrative that has prevailed

during the pandemic.

11 members of the EDF Secretariat participated in the training. Nena Georgantzi,

Julia Wadoux and Estelle Huchet from AGE Secretariat led the training in

collaboration with Nadege Riche from EDF. A couple of AGE colleagues also

attended the meeting. The feedback received after the meeting was very positive

and there was interest among AGE staff to also do a training on disability for the

AGE Secretariat.

3. Prints of relevant proofs

This part includes a) the concept note (including the agenda) and outcome paper of

the joint policy webinar on the rights of older persons with disabilities; and b) the

agenda of the training for EDF staff

a) Joint meeting on the rights of older persons with disabilities

Concept note and agenda

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Policy webinar

Building Back Better:

Lessons for the protection of the human rights of older persons with disabilities in

the EU

With the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons

Ms. Claudia Mahler

Tuesday 20th October 2020

10.00-12.00

Concept note

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed in tragic ways the combined effects of ageism and

ableism on the rights of older persons with disabilities. Both groups – older persons with or

without disabilities, and persons with disabilities regardless of their age - have been

disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Older persons with disabilities have been hit

the hardest: according to WHO Europe, over 95% of the deaths from COVID-19 in the region

occurred among people older than 60 years, over half of them among people aged 80 years or

older. And up to half of all COVID-19 fatalities in Europe occurred in long-term care

facilities, in particular in care homes for older persons.

Pre-existing attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers have both been magnified by

the crisis and reproduced in the response. Older persons and persons with disabilities were

identified early in the pandemic as persons at particular risk, and residential settings were

known to be conducive for the propagation of the virus. Yet, the long-term care sector

generally, and residential care in particular, were not prioritized in the preparedness and

response plans and measures. This resulted in significant delays in the response, and in the

neglect of the needs of both workers and users of long-term care – ‘the unsung and the

overlooked’1 – in terms of protective equipment and safety protocols in particular.

Infection and mortality rates are picking up again in Europe and older persons with

disabilities continue to be a greater risk. Going forward, it is essential to draw the lessons of

the crisis in order to better protect the rights of older persons with disabilities. This includes

addressing the chronic neglect of the long-term care sector in Europe and prioritizing

integrated and community approaches to care that put people and their dignity front and

centre. In reforming the social support and protection systems, a rights-based approach to

ageing and disability also calls for addressing discrimination and empowering people to

meaningfully participate in the decisions that affect them.

The newly appointed UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by

Older Persons, Ms. Claudia Mahler, dedicated her first thematic report to the impact of

1 ‘Invest in the overlooked and unsung: build sustainable people-centred long-term care in the wake of COVID-

19’, statement by WHO Regional Director for Europe, 23 April 2020.

https://www.un.org/development/desa/ageing/news/2020/05/covid-19-older-persons/https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/covid-19.htmlhttps://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Disability/COVID-19_and_The_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities.pdfhttps://www.epsu.org/sites/default/files/article/files/2905%20COVID%20inquiry%20LTC%20letter%20EPSU%20AGE%20EDF_final.pdfhttps://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/lessons-to-be-drawn-from-the-ravages-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-long-term-care-facilitieshttps://undocs.org/A/75/205https://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/sections/statements/2020/statement-invest-in-the-overlooked-and-unsung-build-sustainable-people-centred-long-term-care-in-the-wake-of-covid-19

5

COVID-19 on older persons. Her findings and recommendations to States are particularly

relevant to older persons with disabilities, notably those living in residential care settings.

Proposal

Rationale

European Commission Vice-President Šuica has been mandated with presenting a Green

Paper on Ageing in 2021, looking in particular at social protection systems. At present only a

few EU countries provide comprehensive social protection to cover the need for care in old

age. Principle 18 of the European Pillar of Social Rights stresses the ‘right to affordable long-

term care services of good quality, in particular home-care and community-based services’.

Meanwhile, the EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020 comes to an end and the European

Parliament and other actors have called on the European Commission for an ambitious post-

2020 strategy. All EU member States are parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities. It is further the only international human rights treaty ratified by

the EU as a regional organization, which empowers the European Commission to propose

bold action in this field.

Moreover, the EU currently lacks comprehensive protection from discrimination on the basis

of age and disability beyond the field of employment. The President of the European

Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the Commissioner on Equality, Helena Dalli have

committed to strengthen the EU framework on discrimination during their mandate.

In this context and to mark the International Day of Older Persons, a virtual working meeting

will be convened by the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe, AGE Platform

Europe and the European Disability Forum, to discuss how EU policies can incorporate the

lessons learned from the pandemic in order to secure the rights of older persons with

disabilities.

Specific objectives

4) Discuss key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU, as exposed and/or enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic;

5) Explore concrete pathways and measures which would help to recover better from the crisis in the EU, drawing from the findings and recommendations of the UN

Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, other

UN Special Procedures as well as the UN Secretary-General’s policy briefs and other

guidance issued since the outbreak of the pandemic;

6) Based on the above, identify suggestions and recommendations to the EU in particular in the context of the formulation of the Green Paper on Ageing, the new Disability

Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the proposal for new EU legislation

in the field of non-discrimination.

Organizers: UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe, AGE Platform Europe, the

European Disability Forum

Title: Building Back Better: Lessons for the protection of the human rights of older

persons with disabilities in the EU

https://undocs.org/A/75/205http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=1226

6

Date & time: Tuesday 20th October 2020 - 10:00 – 12:00

Venue: Webinar –An online invitation will be sent to registered participants.

Participants: In addition to the three co-organisers and the UN Independent Expert on the

Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, the webinar aims to bring together

representatives from the following institutions / organizations:

• EU Commission (Cabinets of Vice-President Šuica and Commissioner Dalli/DG Justice and DG Employment)

• Members of the European Parliament (Intergroup on disability and interest group on ageing and solidarity between generations)

• Representatives of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

• EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)

• European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI)

• European Network of Equality Bodies (Equinet)

Methodology: To encourage open discussion and facilitate the exchange of information, the

working meeting will be held under the Chatham House Rule.

Agenda

Moderated by:

Facundo Chávez Penillas, Human Rights & Disability Adviser, UN Office of the High

Commissioner for Human Rights

10.00 – 10.05 Welcome and introduction, Birgit Van Hout, Regional Representative,

UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe

10.05 – 10.20 Key challenges to the human rights of older persons with disabilities

drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Claudia Mahler, UN

Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older

Persons

10.20 – 11.00 Roundtable discussion on key challenges and gaps, including

interventions by all participants

11.00 – 11.05 Comfort break

11.05 – 11.50 Roundtable discussion on recommendations to the EU, including

interventions by all participants

11.50 – 12.00 Concluding remarks

Questions for roundtable discussions

• What do you think are the key gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU, as exposed and/or enhanced by the COVID-

19 pandemic?

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• What action can the EU take tackle some of the identified gaps and challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons with disabilities in the EU?

For more information:

Nena Georgantzi, Policy Coordinator Human Rights & Non-Discrimination, AGE Platform

Europe, nena.georgantzi@age-platform.eu

Outcome paper/ report

Building Back Better: Lessons for the protection of the human rights of

older persons with disabilities in the European Union

Policy webinar, 20 October 2020

Outcome report

This report summarises the main take-away points of a policy webinar on lessons learnt from the

pandemic on the protection of the human rights of older persons with disabilities in the European

Union, held by the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe, AGE Platform Europe and the

European Disability Forum on 20 October 2020.

The two-hour webinar gathered a small number of key stakeholders, including the United Nations

Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and representatives of

EU institutions, Member States and important civil society and human rights actors in the region.

The event highlighted gaps in human rights protection exposed by Covid-19, and helped identify

recommendations to close those gaps and build back better. The meeting was held under Chatham

House rules.

Change the narrative

Older persons with disabilities are often considered objects of care that are a ‘burden’ to society.

This is rooted in the fact that they are often subjected to both ageism and ableism and the

inequalities and discrimination that they face are often considered ‘natural’ and justifiable. The

pandemic – with its devastating and disproportionate effects on older persons with disabilities – has

shown that it has become ever more critical to change that narrative. It is essential to recognise that

mailto:nena.georgantzi@age-platform.eu

8

older persons with disabilities are rights-holders contributing to society and that they constitute a

heterogenous and diverse group of people.

The recently adopted EU Council Conclusions on ‘human rights, participation and well-being of older

persons in the era of digitalisation’ is a major step forward for the rights of older persons, which

must be capitalised upon. A review of its implementation by the end of the presidency trio may be

useful in this regard.

End discrimination

While social inclusion and equality are EU founding values, there is currently no comprehensive

legislation at EU level that prohibits discrimination based on age and disability outside of

employment and vocational training. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der

Leyen and the Commissioner on Equality, Helena Dalli, have committed to strengthen the EU

framework on discrimination and its implementation during their mandate, including through the

forthcoming EU Disability Rights Strategy, but there is currently no specific strategy for the rights of

older persons at EU level. While the Green Paper on Ageing is a welcome initiative, there were

suggestions for it to be followed by a White Paper, and eventually legislative measures which would

deliver more concrete protection to the rights of older people. The need to consistently carry out

equality impact assessments was also mentioned.

The participants also called on the EU and Member States to support the development of a new

international instrument to strengthen the protection of the human rights of older persons.

Break down silos

There is a clear fragmentation in laws, policies and practices relating to the rights of older persons

and persons with disabilities (and at times persons in residential institutions), leading to gaps in

human rights protection for older persons with disabilities. They often find themselves caught

between two different support models, hindering access to services and assistance guaranteed to

persons with disabilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Many

participants emphasised the need for an intersectional approach and for harmonising and

consolidating policies and practices at EU and national levels. To that end, it was considered

essential that due attention be paid to the intersection between age and disability in the

forthcoming EU Disability Rights Strategy, the Green Paper on Ageing and the Action Plan of the

European Pillar on Social Rights. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities underpins

the rights of all persons with disabilities, irrespective of age. As such it can help creating synergies

and breaking down the existing silos.

A push for community living

Covid-19 has put the spotlight on the inherent weaknesses and risks of institutional care of older

persons, and the need to rethink systems of support to older persons with disabilities moving away

from the culture of institutionalisation. Implementing everyone’s right to live independently and be

included in the community, as set out in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

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means investing in social protection systems, access to health care and community-based services

for older persons with disabilities, including through measures to support ageing in place in

accessible home environments, and support for both formal and informal support providers. There is

scope for such investments in the Member States with support of EU financial instruments, including

through the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, Covid-19 recovery

funds and the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII+).

Bridge the digital gap

Covid-19 has exposed older persons with disabilities to stress, isolation and exclusion and made the

digital divide even more visible. Measures to close this gap, including by providing access to digital

services and training, must be taken urgently to ensure that older persons with disabilities can

effectively access health-related information, basic goods and services, break out of their isolation

and better protect themselves from online abuse and fraud. The need to ensure access to justice

was also mentioned in this regard. The European Accessibility Act will be implemented in national

legislation by 2025 but it is essential that relevant sectors take into account the current

developments to ensure that older persons with disabilities benefit, also in line with the Council

Conclusions on ‘human rights, participation and well-being of older persons in the era of

digitalisation’.

Everybody counts

At the very core of the Sustainable Development Agenda lies the pledge that all States have made –

to leave no one behind and reach out to “the furthest behind first”. However, discussions on Covid-

19 measures and recovery tend to exclude older persons with disabilities, who also remain largely

invisible in data and statistics. Age limitations in general population surveys and the use of

household surveys that exclude people living in care homes and other types of institutions were

identified as barriers. Yet, data is essential to deliver effective policies and monitor their

implementation. Since the start of the pandemic, the Fundamental Rights Agency has produced

bulletins on fundamental rights implications of Covid-19 on different groups, including persons with

disabilities and older persons.

Urgent action

As the pandemic continues, it is vital that urgent measures are taken to protect older persons with

disabilities. Discrimination on the basis of disability and age in the triage process and confinement

must end right now. Measures must also be taken to ensure that older persons with disabilities

continue to have access to general health care and to community-based support and social services.

Reports of abuse, including fraud and financial abuse, of older persons with disabilities are worrying

and must be acted upon. It is also essential that older persons with disabilities, formal and informal

caregivers as well as support networks are prioritised in vaccination schemes and other efforts to

curb the virus.

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b) Training on old age and disability for EDF staff

Agenda

Time Duration Session Methodology Persons in

charge

10:00 am 10

minutes Round table/presentation so

EDF and AGE staff gets to

know each other

Ask each participant:

What is your name, role and

if you had one super power

what would it be

EDF/Nadège,

All

10:10 am 5 minutes Setting up common rules to

create a positive and

conductive training

atmosphere

Propose some ground rules

on a slide and ask

participants if they are happy

with those rules and whether

they want other ones to

make everyone feeling

confident to speak up

EDF/ Nadège

+ AGE/ Nena

10:15 am 5 minutes Presentation of the training

objectives and agenda

Presentation of online

communication rules

Present the objectives

explained at the beginning of

this document orally

EDF/ Nadège

10:20 am 40

minutes Session 1/ Theory: what

every EDF secretariat staff

ought to know about

discrimination on the basis

of age and intersectionality

between age and disability

Oral presentation and Q&A

Presentation around:

- Ageing as a process and how we define older people

- Intergenerational solidarity

- Ageism and drivers to breaches to human rights and fundamental rights of older people

- Wording about portraying of older people

AGE/ Nena,

Julia and

Estelle

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11:00 am 45

minutes Session 2/ Practice: Group

work

The breakout sessions will

aim at identifying

opportunities for knowledge

transfer between the two

organisations (at secretariat

but possibly at members’

level too) and future

collaborations.

- 1 for policy group: a shared policy discussion focusing key policy priorities, including COVID-19 and recovery; solidarity; care/ independent living; social protection/ employment - 1 for support group (com, admin and events’ organisations) : a shared reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of both EDF and AGE based on lessons drawn during COVID-19 with regard to: • Digitalising our

professional practices – how to work with members and partners at times of physical distancing? What works, what doesn’t? Tips and tricks for organisations of older people and people with disabilities to remain active and vocal during/after the pandemic

AGE to initiate and facilitate

the discussion of the 2

parallel sessions

EDF to identify the

participants of each parallel

session

1 EDF staff to support AGE

facilitators on technical

aspects of the 2 parallel

sessions (Ex: Nadège for the

policy session and Raquel for

the organisational session)

AGE/

Policy group:

Nena and

Julia with

support from

Nadège

Support

group:

Estelle with

support from

Raquel

11:45 am 5 minutes Closing remarks

Share concrete next steps

that have come up from the

discussions

AGE + EDF

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11:50 am 10

Minutes Training quick evaluation

Training evaluation

methodology:

- At the end of the session: do a roundtable asking participants about 1 learning and 1 thing that they commit to follow up or implement immediately after the training

- Quick online survey with 3 questions: 1 good thing that we should keep about this training session, 1 bad thing that we should not do anymore, and 1 thing to improve for next training

AGE + EDF/

Nadège