CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The predicted catastrophe resulting from the rapid ageing of Asian populations is not inevitable, experts said today at a regional conference of the HelpAge Network. By changing economic and health policies as well as mindsets, they said, countries can head off disaster by minimizing the burden and maximizing the contribution of older persons.

Over 200 participants from 120 organizations in 29 Asian and Pacific countries are here this week to discuss how to respond to the demographic shift. The conference, titled “Older People in Ageing Societies: Burden or Resource?”, is led by HelpAge International with support from the European Union and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Numbers of older persons are rising sharply with increases life expectancies throughout the region. In countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mongolia and Viet Nam, populations aged over 60 years will triple by 2050, while falling birth rates will result in fewer young workers entering the labour force in coming decades. Growing costs for health care and social support associated with ageing will pose tremendous challenges.

But there are also great opportunities, speakers on the meeting’s opening day emphasized.

Older people who are healthier and more active than in the past are a huge resource that countries must not waste, according to HelpAge Asia Regional Director Eduardo Klein. “The next few years are the time to act” to realize this potential, he said.

Philip O’Keefe, the World Bank’s lead economist on social protection and labour, said the risks associated with ageing are real but can be mitigated. “We always look at the costs, but the economic and business opportunities are enormous,” he noted.

Raising the age of retirement to keep pension systems solvent will be politically difficult, he acknowledged, but some countries have introduced incentive schemes and other measures to keep people working longer. Contrary to perceptions, later retirement will not mean fewer jobs for the young; studies show that having more older people working can increase GDPs and create more demand for young workers.

As populations age, health systems have to contend with an increased burden of non-communicable diseases such as strokes and diabetes. But “age is not the dominant driver of rising health costs”, Mr. O’Keefe contended. Countries can manage expenses by emphasizing preventive primary care and reforming pharmaceutical purchasing policies, he said.

Wise investment can greatly increase people’s years of healthy and productive lives. Keizo Takemi, a member of the Japanese Parliament and Chairperson of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, pointed out that Japan’s introduction of universal health coverage had led to fewer strokes as more people were treated for high blood pressure.

Ageing-related issues need more attention in the global framework being developed to follow the Millennium Development Goals, said Lubna Baqi, UNFPA Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific

In the next few days the conference will delve into these issues, with breakout sessions on flexible work in retirement, older people as a resource in the post-2015 agenda, older farmers and demographic change, older volunteers as a potential resource including in emergencies and disaster preparedness, and   intergenerational support at household level.

- William A. Ryan