United Nations Economic and Social Council

Topic : Building Age-Friendly Communities

Working Language: English

Delegation: Double Delegation (60 delegates in total)

Rules of Procedure: Beijing Rules of Procedure (Paper-oriented)

Introduction to Committee and Topics:

As the center of the United Nations (UN) development system, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) plays an important role in identifying emerging challenges, providing overall guidance and coordination, promoting innovation, and linking a diverse family of UN entities.

The extended human longevity combined with the subsequently reduced fertility levels leads to an inevitable change in the population age distribution, shifting from younger to older ages. With the sharp rise of the old-age dependency in recent decades, old-age support systems have witnessed increasing pressure on providing the elderly with enough assistance and social protection in all parts of the globe.

As one of the most critical social transformations of the twenty-first century, population ageing is related to implications for nearly all sectors of the society. Preparing for the societal shifts related to population ageing has become a significant issue to ensure the basic right of older persons. To this end, ECOSOC has put the building of age-friendly communities on the agenda. Here, delegates are expected to figure out ways to build communities for better protection for the older generation. We believe that through our efforts in giving priority to older persons, and ensuring a supportive and enabling environment, we will make much more progress toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.