Asia-Pacific is one of the most rapidly ageing regions in the world.
By 2050, one in four people will be above the age of 60, most of whom will be women.
While there is no single comprehensive policy to address population ageing and low fertility, there is an urgent need for countries to adapt a life-cycle approach with gender equality at its core. It is by investing in each stage of life, starting from before a girl's birth to her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, that women - and their communities and countries - will be able to enjoy healthy and active ageing.
This is the rationale behind UNFPA’s regional advocacy campaign 'For Every Age' - underscoring the need for rights-based life-cycle policies to transform perceived demographic challenges into opportunities for all.
This collection of material including technical guidelines, publications, feature stories and videos, provides a snapshot of our work across Asia-Pacific supporting countries to adopt a life-cycle approach to prepare for a future where every age is celebrated and no one is left behind.
What is a life-cycle approach?
VIDEO: Investing in every stage of a person's life, from childbirth to childhood to adolescence to adulthood, determines the life path towards healthy and active ageing.
Explaining the life-cycle approach in 10 photos
Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, UNFPA presents a photo exhibition titled '#ForEveryAge of her life' that takes you through some of the key stages of a woman’s life - from childbirth to adolescence to adulthood - depicting how the choices she makes at each stage determines the rest of her life.
The photo exhibition will be launched in Tokyo, Japan, on International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2022.
As the world turns 8 billion strong, we focus on the people that make up the numbers. As Japan celebrates long and fll lives, we look into the life of 66-year-old 'Granfluencer', Eriko Yagi, In this story, she shares her zeal for fashion with her followers.
Supporting the elderly during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences pose significant threats to the wellbeing and dignity of older persons across the Asia-Pacific region. The pandemic will have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts in unpredictable ways. Throughout 2020, HelpAge and UNFPA monitored the situation of older people across a sampling of target countries in the region. LEARN MORE
The UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office also developed technical reports on the essential needs of older persons in the context of COVID-19 to effectively support member states and partners in preparing for and responding to the pandemic regionwide:
With a focus on Asia-Pacific, this report explores the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human fertility trends, patterns and choices. While it is too early to assess the full impact of COVID-19 on fertility with any certainty, this report identifies key dimensions of the pandemic that may impact fertility.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences pose significant threats to the wellbeing and dignity of older persons across the Asia Pacific region. The pandemic will have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts in unpredictable ways. Monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 on older persons is therefore essential to inform policy makers and the broader society in order to ensure responses are inclusive of older persons. Throu...
This UNFPA regional technical guidance note provides guidance on older persons, health workers, and caregivers in the contexts of COVID-19 to effectively support each member state and work with other partners in preparing for and responding to the pandemic.
In the news
In Iran, we delivered 1,000 oxygen concentrators to the State Welfare Organization for the benefit of the elderly, through a partnership with UNICEF and the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian AID Operations (ECHO).
In Indonesia and Viet Nam, with contributions of over USD 2.8 million to each country from the Government of Japan, we are working to ensure continued care and services for older persons during the pandemic, among other vulnerable populations.
In Thailand, we released a pioneering report on COVID-19 and older persons based on a UNFPA-supported survey conducted by Chulalongkorn University. The report served to inform decision-makers on the needs of older persons’ during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
For the world, not just Nepal, putting action on ageing in front and centre – across the whole of government and civil society – is vital to ensure the security and quality of life we, and our children, will need one day. We will all grow old, but we can prepare better for it.
Nepal: A year after Krishna’s mother passed away in 2003, his father began to age rapidly - becoming forgetful, mixing words up, and losing the ability to carry out basic daily activities. It was only when Krishna took him to the hospital that he heard the words ‘incurable dementia’ for the first time. Shocked by the total lack of awareness in society around dementia and other issues related to ageing, Krishna founded the non-governmental organization, Ageing Nepal. READ MORE
Sri Lanka: As an island nation increasingly vulnerable to the rapid effects of climate change and extreme weather conditions, the needs of older persons in Sri Lanka require focused attention. Through a partnership with HelpAge Sri Lanka, UNFPA is ensuring the needs of older persons are included in emergency preparedness and response efforts across the country. READ MORE
Indonesia: When an earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated Central Sulawesi in September 2018, Dewi Rana was on the frontlines, responding to the aftermath. Working with vulnerable groups such as new mothers, she soon found that older people were also at risk. The innovations for the elderly that Dewi helped lead are now being woven into the region’s COVID-19 response. READ MORE
Viet Nam: Engaging young people to help address the needs of older persons in Viet Nam, UNFPA, together with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, established a student start-up innovation competition. Students from some 2,000 vocational education and training institutions across the country are sharing digital transformation ideas to provide continued, dedicated and uninterrupted care and social security for older people and persons with disabilities during the pandemic. READ MORE
In increasing awareness of the needs of older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic, UNFPA Viet Nam also developed a series of informational videos. The videos were developed in partnership with the Ministry of Health, HelpAge International, and the Viet Nam Association of the Elderly.
In this paper, we examine selected analyses of population ageing and low fertility rate policies and issues, and propose how UNFPA could address issues relating to population ageing against a backdrop of low fertility in the region, using a life-cycle approach to this demographic shift.
The Social Policies Catalogue on Population Ageing seeks to systematically identify and collate available social policies on population ageing on a global scale.
This monograph, “Population ageing and older persons in Viet Nam”, was developed using data from the Population and Housing Censuses conducted in 2009 and 2019 and other relevant sources. It builds on in-depth analyses from previous reports on population ageing in Viet Nam.
This report is written based on a survey conducted by the College of Population Studies of Chulalongkorn University, commissioned by UNPFA in Thailand. The objective of the survey was to provide evidence to decision makers to inform responses to older persons’ needs during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
The first ever National Transfer Accounts for Maldives gives a snapshot of how Maldives is utilizing its finances for its spending on health and education of the population and whether the consumption is met by the labour productivity.
More country publications, reports, and policy papers
Advocating for a rights-based life-cycle approach to address population ageing across Asia-Pacific requires a collective effort from multiple stakeholders, including partners, civil society, and individuals.
Download the #ForEveryAge campaign social media cards, key messages, and other assets here.
The regional advocacy campaign titled ‘For Every Age’ delivered by the UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office, together with partners, aims to raise awareness on the rights-based life-cycle approach towards population ageing across Asia-Pacific. The campaign is underpinned by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) and aims to encourage all countries within the region to actively adopt national policies and systems that enhance the livelihoods of older women and men, through investments throughout their life-cycle.