Abstract

Ten years have passed since the Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved, on June 15, 2015, the Inter American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons [1]. This instrument is the first international treaty of regional scope to recognize and comprehensively protect the human rights of older persons. Its drafting process, convened in 2011, was relatively fast by the standards of international treaty negotiations [2], making it possible to finalize the text in just four years. To date, thirteen countries have ratified the Convention: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Suriname, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Uruguay [3]. The Convention is a binding instrument; therefore, ratification entails an obligation to move toward its effective implementation. Accordingly, States Parties must periodically report legislative and public policy progress and submit to a follow-up mechanism that includes a Conference of States Parties and a Committee of Experts [1]. Despite the time that has passed, the Convention remains little known outside specialized circles, which limits its transformative potential. In a regional context where structural discrimination persists, the Convention offers a normative framework to safeguard rights in health, social protection, justice, participation and independent living. It also helps to make visible and confront abuse, neglect and violence that are still too often normalized. In Chile, where it was ratified in 2017, implementation today more than ever requires dissemination, training and civic oversight, with territorial relevance and genuine inclusion of the diversity of ageing experiences -leaving no one behind.

Keywords: Older persons; Human rights; Inter-American Convention; Ageism; Implementation; Public policies; Chile; Participation

Abbreviations: OAS: Organization of American States; ECLAC: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; WHO: World Health Organization; UN: United Nations; SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals