Gray Panthers at the UN: Leading the Global Fight for Age Justice

From its earliest days, Gray Panthers has stood for justice across generations. What began as a grassroots movement in the United States has grown into a global voice for age equality—one that resonates at the United Nations.

Gray Panthers holds NGO consultative status at the UN and for many years has served as Co-Focal Point (Co-Chair) of the UN Stakeholder Group on Ageing (SGA). The SGA, a coalition of organizations from every region of the world, strives to ensure that the voices of older persons are heard in global policymaking. Together, we advocate for one simple but powerful truth: the rights of older persons are human rights.

For more than a decade, the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) was the UN forum tasked with examining how well the human rights of older persons are protected—and identifying where international law falls short. Gray Panthers, through its active role in the Stakeholder Group on Ageing, participated in those discussions.  

In May 2024, the OEWG held its fourteenth and final session, adopting Decision 14/1, which recognized serious gaps in protecting older persons’ rights and outlined options for closing them, including the creation of a new UN convention (document) on the rights of older persons. A few months later, in August 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/78/324, formally concluding the OEWG’s mandate. The resolution acknowledged the group’s important work and pointed the way forward for continued advocacy.

The conclusion of the OEWG marks the end of one phase—but the beginning of another.  Progress continued this fall when, on 6 October 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted—without a vote—draft resolution A/HRC/60/L.15 on the human rights of older persons. 

In this resolution, the Council:

• Welcomed the work of Claudia Mahler, the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons; and

• Extended her mandate for another three years, reaffirming the global commitment to protecting the dignity and rights of older people.

This action strengthens international accountability and reinforces the global framework for advancing age justice. It ensures that older persons’ issues remain at the forefront of the UN’s human rights agenda—and gives organizations like ours a stronger platform to advocate for lasting change.

The world’s population is aging faster than ever, yet many policies still treat older adults as invisible or expendable. The next step is to secure a legally binding international convention (treaty) that protects the rights and dignity of older persons—just as conventions already exist for children, women, and persons with disabilities. Gray Panthers is at the center of that effort. As Co-Focal Point of the Stakeholder Group on Ageing, we coordinate with allies from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America to press for a convention and to ensure older persons’ lived experiences shape future UN actions.

The movement for Age Justice does not end with one UN resolution. It continues every day—in communities, in parliaments, and on the world stage.

Gray Panthers will keep raising that message—at the United Nations and beyond—until older persons everywhere are fully recognized, respected, and protected under international law.