World Elderly Day 2023: Theme, History, Importance, Celebration

Each year, World Elderly Day is celebrated on 1 October by people all over the world. The day celebrates and appreciates all the senior citizens around the world and acknowledges their contributions to our society. In addition to this, it also focuses on raising public awareness about the opportunities and challenges faced by the ageing population. Also known as the International Day of Older Persons, the United Nations General Assembly established October 1 as World Elderly Day on December 14, 1990. This article presents some interesting details about World Elderly Day 2023.

World Elderly Day 2023 Overview

World Elderly Day 2023 Date

World Elderly Day Significance

There has been a significant growth in the population of older people around the world and over the decades it is projected to be more than double than it is now. By 2050, this population is expected to reach 1.5 billion and the fastest increase is projected to take place in the least developed countries. This will have an impact on almost every aspect of society and therefore it has become crucial to focus on the issues related to older people. The main objective behind observing this special day is to encourage families, communities, and organizations to tackle the difficulties faced by older people such as health problems, social issues, financial insecurities, etc.

UN Decade of Healthy Ageing

The present decade i.e. from 2021 to 2030 has been declared as the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing. Aligned with the last ten years of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is a global collaboration to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.

History of World Elderly Day

The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 45/106 to establish the International Day of Older Persons on 14 December 1990. The decision was taken after the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing initiative was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly. October 1^st was chosen as the day of observation and the first World Elderly Day was observed on October 1, 1991. the same year, the General Assembly also adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons (resolution 46/91).

World Elderly Day Celebration in 2023

Many public awareness events and activities are organized every year to observe World Elderly Day. Discussions relating to the ageing population, providing adequate health provisions, social care, and volunteer work are conducted by WHO and other organizations working for the betterment of older people. As an individual, you can be a part of any such organization and volunteer to work with the elderly or help in any other way that you can. You can also try learning more about the elders of your family by spending some time with them, and knowing what troubles them and finding out the ways to help them.

Check: Important Days in October

World Elderly Day 2023 Theme

Every year a unique theme is decided to observe International Day of Older Persons. Check out the theme for World Elderly Day for the past few years in the table below. The theme for the year 2023 is “Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations”.

Frequently Asked Questions