Leave No-One Behind: Ageing, Gender and the Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Development Programme has shared its first policy note on the subject of ageing and gender. The brief approaches ageing through an intersectional lens, situating the challenges and opportunities presented by growing ageing demographics in low and middle-income countries within the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

As the report explores, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) directly address the concerns of older women by:

- Calling for an end to poverty for all (SDG 1)

- Including targets that lift historic age-caps on data collection for gender-based violence (SDG 5)

- Specifying the right to health “for all and at all ages” (SDG 3)

- Promoting “lifelong” learning (SDG 6)

- Encouraging the development of sustainable, inclusive, and accessible urban environments, including for older persons (SDG 11)

- Reducing all forms of violence, including physical, psychological, or sexual violence, among all persons, regardless of age (SDG 16)

In the report, the UNDP says its commitment to gender equality “is rooted in the principle that Goal 5 – end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere – is a precondition to the success of the 2030 Agenda as a whole.”

The International Federation on Ageing’s Expertfile is home to a number of top international experts on global ageing, all whom are available for media comment and speaking opportunities on issues related to global ageing and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

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