Czech Republic and a New UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons
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Population ageing is becoming one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, but are our existing human rights frameworks truly prepared to respond to it? The answer is provided in a new policy paper by Veronika Bílková and Federica Cristani, who examine whether the world, and the Czech Republic in particular, needs a new UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons and what such a step would mean in practice.
Population ageing is no longer a distant trend, but a force that is already reshaping our societies—from labour markets and healthcare systems to the sustainability of pensions and overall social cohesion. The policy paper therefore asks a crucial question: are existing human rights frameworks really equipped to deal with the specific challenges that come with ageing, or are important gaps still being overlooked?
The authors show that while human rights treaties formally apply to everyone, they often fail to capture age-specific discrimination and exclusion in practice. They therefore explore whether a new UN convention could bring clearer standards, stronger recognition of older persons as rights holders, and more effective protection, while also weighing real concerns about duplication and implementation.
If you want to better understand what this debate means for the future of our societies and for the Czech Republic’s role in it, read the full policy paper.
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