HelpAge Asia Pacific regional office jointly organised webinars with international and regional agencies in the region to represent the voice of older people regarding their experiences, needs and contribution, as well as to call for age-inclusive policies and responses.
HelpAge webinar series
With support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), HelpAge is organising a series of webinars consisting of three topics which are ‘Inequality’, ‘Climate Change’, ‘Age-friendly Community’.
The first of our webinar series titled “How can we reduce inequalities in later life as societies age?” was organised on 14 October 2020. It was co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ESCAP.
The objective of the webinar is to strengthen clarity and consensus about the priority steps governments can take to reduce inequality. The webinar was moderated by Kaveh Zahedi, Deputy Executive Secretary, ESCAP. Discussants were Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division from Pakistan and Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Senior Adviser, Khazanah Research Institute from Malaysia. A video presentation from Dr. David E. Bloom, Professor of Economics and Demography, Harvard University, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a video on Voices of Older People: Reflection on Lifecourse and Inequality, were presented.
Find more detail of this webinar, including concept note, research paper and video presentation, click here.
A briefing paper on reducing inequalities in later life as societies age was produced as part of this webinar and was being circulated to various UN agencies, government officials, INGOs and civil societies in the region.
The second webinar in the series was titled “Intergenerational action on climate change: Unleashing the power of older people” and was held on 4 February 2021. The webinar highlighted the relationship between population growth, ageing societies and climate change. Older people from different regions and a panel of experts will share their views on how older people can play an active role in saving our planet.
In addition, we produced a paper on older people and climate action. Download here.
To access all relevant resources and video presented in this webinar, please click here.
The third webinar in the series was titled “Building back better” in post-pandemic Asia: Back to the future for older people?” and was held on 9 March 2021.
It is commonly said that the pandemic crisis presents an opportunity to “build back better” or plan for a “great reset”. As COVID-19 spread, older people initially attracted attention because they suffered more from the direct impacts of the virus than any other age group. But in the future, it is unclear whether Asian societies will revert to a pre-COVID status quo, fall backwards, or move towards systemic change that supports people to age with security and dignity. The webinar seeks reflections on what change could happen, whether it is happening, and how it might happen. Specifically, the webinar will ask:
- Does COVID-19 present opportunities to “build back better” in relation to Asia’s older populations? Are transformational gains for life in old age more or less likely because of the crisis? What types of changes are possible? At the same time, what risks does the crisis present for the future?
- Do we see any clear signs of building back better? Do we sense momentum towards change, the appearance of any “green shoots” – for example, in public or policy dialogue, or through expanded or innovative services?
- How might transformational change come about? What may be the drivers or incentives for change? Will the push come from mobilised popular demand, government foresight, multilateral agreement, the private sector or other forces? And where would leverage make the most difference?
Following the webinar, a paper on ‘Older People and Climate Action’ highlighting ways that older people can engage in climate actions was produced. Download here.
Find more detail on panellists and video presentations, click here.
Webinars on older people and COVID-19
We have participated in forums and discussions on COVID-19 responses and its impact on older people. We jointly organised webinars with international and regional agencies in the region to represent the voice of older people regarding their experiences, needs and contribution in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to call for age-inclusive policies and responses.
- COVID-19, communities and older persons
- ASEAN Forum on COVID-19 response
In addition, we have collected a compilation of relevant webinars on COVID-19 and its impact on older people organised by UN agencies and our alliance. Visit our COVID-19 webinar page to find recordings and related resources.
