HelpAge International’s new report exposes an issue that is too often neglected: the exclusion of older people from humanitarian funding and response. As this report clearly shows, despite decades of commitments by the international community to principled, inclusive humanitarian action, older people remain among the most systematically overlooked groups in crisis settings. This is not just a technical oversight; it is a failure of accountability that undermines the quality and effectiveness of humanitarian response.
by HealpAge International
While the report draws on data from selected sources, it offers a broader reflection of the structural nature of the exclusion of older people. The absence of dedicated funding not only limits older people’s access to essential services but also contributes to the erosion of their agency and participation.
What stands out in this report is not only the stark data on the minimal funding made available for programmes that target or include older people, but also its examination of the central role of donors in shaping the system and the power dynamics that continue to have an effect on progress on inclusion. The current humanitarian model places disproportionate power in the hands of donors, leaving frontline actors and affected communities subject to shifting priorities and political pressures.
We are seeing the consequences of that imbalance play out in real time, as the humanitarian sector faces an existential crisis triggered by recent, dramatic funding cuts. Donor priorities are shifting to domestic concerns or military interests, while some actors are retreating from long-held commitments to human rights, equality and inclusion. The result is that affected populations are not being reached, coordination structures are unravelling, and local and national organisations are being pushed to the brink.
This situation has accelerated changes to the system, forcing a “humanitarian reset” that is focused on prioritisation and a narrow definition of lifesaving; one that risks leaving the most marginalised behind. If we are serious about system reform, we must be serious about delivering principled, impartial and inclusive responses, where prioritisation does not mean exclusion. That means rethinking how decisions are made, how resources are allocated, and whose voices are heard.
HelpAge is part of the effort to push back against these trends. It supports locally led humanitarian action, working alongside a network of 199 members in 98 countries in a unique alliance standing up for the rights of older people. By amplifying the voices of older people and the national and community-based organisations that represent them, HelpAge works to build a fairer world in which everyone, including older people, can live safe, healthy and dignified lives.
This report is a vital call to action at a time when inclusion is increasingly threatened in the humanitarian system and the space for rightsbased discourse is shrinking – but it also comes at a rare moment of opportunity to reshape how the system works. It challenges us to do better, but not only for older people but for everyone. It contributes to the broader conversation on how to rebuild a humanitarian system that is fairer, more locally led, and grounded in the dignity of all people, regardless of their age.
Fuente: https://www-helpage-org.translate.goog
If not now, when? Keeping promises to older people affected by humanitarian crises
“I thought it was the end of the world, the end of my life. I had lost hope.”
by HealpAge International
Francisco, 65, feared the worst as Cyclone Idai ripped the roof off his home in a centre for older people in Mozambique. Thankfully, he survived, but opening his door the next day he saw destruction all around.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is committed to ensuring that those most in need at times of emergency – like Francisco, who I met at his newly repaired home – receive our support. Humanitarian principles require us to alleviate human suffering among those least able to withstand the stress caused by disaster. Ensuring that no one is left behind in our humanitarian response is the responsibility of all humanitarian actors.
COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the devastating effect that age discrimination can have on older people and the need for looking again at how we, as humanitarians, address the rights and needs of those most at risk in our societies. The evidence in this report highlights the endemic challenges and discrimination that older people face in accessing humanitarian support.
The report provides us with important lessons for how our practice must improve in light of the current challenges we are facing in the context of COVID-19.
The UN Secretary General’s report on the impact of COVID-19 on older people leaves no doubt that much more still needs to be done. The latest update of the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan to COVID-19 also shows the multiple risks that older people are facing.
We need to be aware of how older people are affected not only in the short-term due to the impacts of humanitarian crises such as the coronavirus pandemic, but also by the longer-term impacts that include reduced income, food insecurity and lack of access to appropriate health and social care. We should all be keen to learn from the expertise of our colleagues and it is through the efforts of DEC members such as Age International and its partner HelpAge International that we can continue to improve in this area.
I urge all humanitarian actors to scrutinise closely how their programmes include older people and whether their needs and rights are genuinely being taken into account.
Fuente: https://www-helpage-org.translate.goog/what-we-do/humanitarian-action/