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Welcome to your quarterly Age-friendly World newsletter – end-of-year edition |
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With the end of 2024 on the horizon, another festive season has arrived again. As diverse ways of celebration and reflection take place around the world, this time of year is also an opportunity to give thanks for what we've achieved together as a Global Network during this fourth year of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.
For example, we've:
📈 Grown the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities to more than 1700 members across 60 countries
📚 Made the WHO guide and living toolkit for national programmes on age-friendly cities and communities available in more languages (Arabic, French, Russian, and Spanish)
✅ Welcomed new Affiliates in Mexico, Norway, and Portugal, as well as new members in Croatia, Ecuador, Greece, India, Oman, and St Kitts and Nevis
🚀 Launched a new online training programme for age-friendly environments in collaboration with PAHO (in English, Spanish, and Portuguese)
🎓 Ran our AFE-ECHO interactive learning programme for the first time in French and for the Asia-Pacific
💡 Established the first Age-friendly Environments Knowledge and Action Hubs on falls prevention and urban / territorial planning
... and so much more.
The growth of the global age-friendly movement shows no signs of stopping as more and more stakeholders recognise the power of thinking global, acting local to generate meaningful change for people of all ages in the spaces and places where we live our lives.
As we welcome in the new year, we'd like to thank each and every one of you for your continued commitment – and look forward to another year of making the world a more age-friendly place: one city and community at a time.
GNAFCC Secretariat
World Health Organization |
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Member in Focus: City of Rijeka, Croatia |
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This quarter's Member in Focus is the City of Rijeka – our first Global Network member from Croatia. Dobrodošao!
The City of Rijeka has been committed to fostering an age-friendly environment for many years, and this goal has been formally expressed in all of Rijeka’s Health Development Plans since 1996. To do this, Rijeka’s main focus has been to improve the social and economical well-being of older people through programmes aimed at their social inclusion, physical activity and education.
We're particularly inspired by the City of Rijeka's commitment to the meaningful engagement of its older citizens. For example, the city directly engages with older residents by closely working with the largest local Association for Older People, and by providing financing for some of their programmes.
Furthermore, the “Rijeka – Healthy City” Thematic Group for Healthy Ageing, which is composed of local stakeholders as well as representatives of older people themselves, allows those involved to directly influence the city’s policies.
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Age-friendly Practice in Focus: Age-friendly Toolkit (EU) |
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Longer lives are already the norm in many countries around the world. But to make the most of the opportunities of longer lives, we need to develop new skills and knowledge.
The Age-friendly Toolkit project, established by a consortium of organizations in the EU, has worked to develop a free curriculum and training programme for a proposed new profession: the “Reference Professional for Inclusive Ageing in Age-Friendly Cities”.
The curriculum and training build on the WHO Age-friendly framework, and are available in English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and Danish.
Explore the project alongside a new WHO/PAHO online training programme on age-friendly environments, available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. |
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The Global Network in action in Australia (Government of Western Australia) |
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Global Network Affiliates got together in Perth, Australia on 3 December 2024 to discuss and identify concrete actions to improve the evaluation of age-friendly interventions and programs as well as the support provided to their city and community members.
But importantly, the meeting was also an opportunity to celebrate what the Global Network has achieved together in 2024 and to reconnect with friends and colleagues for another exciting year to come.
A huge thanks to the Department of Communities from the Government of Western Australia, a Global Network Affiliate, and LG Professionals WA, who hosted this meeting at the margins of their National Age-Friendly Australia Conference! |
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Launch of the National Network and Programme for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in Portugal |
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The Directorate-General of Health of the Government of Portugal, a Global Network Affiliate, has formally announced the establishment of the National Network and Programme for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and in alignment with the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).
This initiative, unveiled at an event attended by various Portuguese municipalities, aims to promote active and healthy ageing, address disparities, and strengthen local networks. This commitment, initiated through the Lisbon Outcome Statement in 2023, underscores the importance of multisectoral cooperation to enhance the quality of life for the senior population.
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2024 National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards (Age Friendly Ireland) |
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Age Friendly Ireland, a Global Network Affiliate, runs a national awards programme each year to recognise and reward achievement in age-friendly initiatives around Ireland.
Organisations, individuals and members of the public, agencies and communities submit applications on projects or programmes that they consider to be age-friendly, especially those initiatives that support older people.
There are eight categories within these awards. These are: Transport, Active and Healthy Ageing, Business Innovation, Safety and Security, Communications, Environment, Community Innovation and Housing.
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Love getting older in Queensland - Thousands celebrate Seniors Month (Government of Queensland, Australia) |
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In October, Queensland celebrated Seniors Month. The 2024 theme “Love Getting Older in Queensland” was a celebration of the contribution of older people across the state.
115 community organisations were funded to host events statewide and more than 800 events were registered on the Seniors Month event page, attracting almost 33,000 people.
Events featured a month-long senior's extravaganza, fitness classes, craft workshops, technology courses, morning teas, expos, intergenerational activities and more.
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Apply Now for the Trophées de l'Accessibilité 2025! (Réseau Francophone des Villes Amies des Aînés) |
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The Trophées de l'Accessibilité 2025 celebrates innovative initiatives promoting accessibility for all. This prestigious French award recognizes projects that enhance inclusivity in various fields, from urban planning to digital solutions.
Don’t miss this chance to showcase your efforts and inspire change! Applications are open until 15 February 2025 (exclusive to French applicants). Winners will be honored at a special ceremony in April 2025.
The Réseau Francophone des Villes Amies des Aînés, a Global Network Affiliate, is an active contributor of this initiative. |
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Kanagawa Prefecture hosts ME-BYO Summit to discuss healthy longevity and innovative technologies for health management |
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Kanagawa Prefecture held an online international symposium: ME-BYO Summit Kanagawa 2024 in November.
Various topics related to healthy ageing were discussed such as community development for a sustainable future; innovative healthcare technologies related to gut microbiome and cognitive functions; and entertainment and sports for health management.
The speakers included the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Dr Mikiko Kanda from the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Dr Victor Dzau from the National Academy of Medicine, USA, and Dr Mary Ann Tsao, a Healthy Ageing 50 leader from Singapore. |
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SEE-U project underscores the importance of digital empowerment in old age (AGE Platform Europe) |
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The SEE-U (Senior Explorers of Urban Environments) project supported older people in exploring their neighbourhood with the help of digital tools. Participants jointly develop app-based walks in their living environment.
The final event of the SEE-U project showcased two years of work promoting digital skills and empowerment of older adults through the creation of digital walking tours. The experience and findings of the project are collected in a handbook aimed to inspire further initiatives. |
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Updates from the Network Secretariat |
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PAHO/WHO Age-friendly Environments Virtual Training Course now available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese |
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PAHO/WHO has developed an online training course aimed at providing knowledge on age-friendly environments, healthy ageing, and the importance of developing cities and communities that foster the abilities of older people.
The course, now available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, focuses on age-friendly cities and communities, their key characteristics, the process of implementing concrete actions to transform local environments, and how to join and benefit from membership within the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. |
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WHO Western Pacific Regional Meeting on Building Sustainable Age-Friendly Environments |
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Discover how countries in the Western Pacific are building sustainable, age-friendly environments where older adults can thrive.
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and the Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted a regional meeting in Seoul, Republic of Korea, focusing on how national strategies can support subnational age-friendly initiatives.
Key insights include the importance of cross-sector collaboration and national support to enable local efforts, fostering thriving, inclusive communities for healthy ageing across generations. |
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Towards a Road Map on Assistive Technology |
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Assistive technology (AT) is an umbrella term for assistive products (eg. wheelchairs, spectacles, pill organizers, hearing aids, digital solutions) and their related systems and services. Shaping our environments to be more inclusive of people who use assistive technologies is an essential part of building age-friendly cities and communities.
WHO is seeking your input to develop a roadmap that will guide the implementation of the Global report on assistive technology. Please have your say by responding to our global survey, and by sharing your age-friendly practices related to assistive technologies on the Global Database of Age-friendly Practices. |
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Launch of the Age-friendly Balkans Connected Network on 1 November 2024 |
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Over 1700 cities have joined the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. However, in the Western Balkans, the city of Tuzla is the only member.
In September 2024, the Age-friendly Balkans Connected Network was funded by the Dutch Taskforce for Applied Research. The network, led by The Hague University of Applied Sciences, seeks to form knowledge and action eco-systems in North Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Kosovo, and provide cities with assessments of their age-friendliness.
We look forward to seeing how this new network accelerates the age-friendly movement in the Western Balkans! |
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GSICON 2024: A Decade of Healthy Aging – Paradigms and Innovations |
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Kochi, the first city in India to join the Global Network, is hosting GSICON 2024: a landmark national conference of the Geriatric Society of India, uniting over 300 health professionals from across the country.
With a focus on the eight domains of age-friendliness defined by the WHO age-friendly framework, the event aims to inspire policymakers and professionals to adopt the framework and create age-friendly communities, particularly in the context of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. |
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Age-friendly World is a World Health Organization website dedicated to promoting age-friendliness around the world. The World Health Organization Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) is a global coalition of cities and communities committed to becoming more age-friendly.
Submit your news on Age-friendly World or get in touch with us at gnafcc@who.int. |
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