- Details
- Published: 09 December 2020
The United Nations Charter recognizes the “fundamental human rights, and the dignity and worth of the human person”. Over the years, special UN Conventions, addressing the rights of Women, Children, Indigenous Persons and Persons with Disabilities, have been developed and adopted. To this day, there is still no Convention uplifting the rights of Older People, despite persistent calls from numerous organizations around the world and in Canada.
On December 2, EAPO and CNPEA hosted a panel conversation to hear from several Canadian experts who are working hard to support the development of a Convention. The session addressed the situation in long term care, the link between Covid-19 and the mistreatment of older people, ageism, and the protection of rights throughout the life course. 400 people joined the session and participated in a lively Q&A afterwards. Many of you asked what you can do to help support the call for a Convention.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO
The International Longevity Centre Canada (ILC) has initiated a letter-writing campaign to engage the government and request their support for a Convention. A ready-to-use letter is available on their homepage.
- Send an email to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Seniors, with a short personal endorsement. Attach the letter to your email. Copy ILC leaders Margaret Gillis and Dr. Kiran Rabheru and your local MP on the email.
- If you use social media, make sure that you post about this too. Talk about the need for a Convention. Let people know about the letter campaign. Share a link to ILC’s website. Tag your MP, the Ministers and ILC in your posts. Use the hashtags #HumanRightsDay and #Standup4humanrights.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Download the letter here - a French version is available here
- Here is an example of personal endorsement for your email (feel free to use or edit as you see fit)
To the Honourable Ministers Champagne and Shulte,
I am writing to support the International Longevity Centre (ILC) Canada demands for a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons in response to horrific human rights violations in the 2020 pandemic. I want to convey my sense of urgency that you act quickly given the pandemic numbers continue to increase. Canada has an important leadership role to play in advancing the human rights of older adults. Please demonstrate your leadership and support the UN Convention. Attached you will find the ILC letter.
Thank you,
Signature
- Email addresses:
The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne:
The Honourable Deb Schulte:
Margaret Gillis:
Kiran Rabheru:
Find your MP: https://www.ourcommons.ca/en/contact-us
- Social media handles:
Twitter:
The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne: @FP_Champagne
The Honourable Deb Schulte: @_DebSchulte
International Longevity Canada: @ILCCanada
CNPEA: @cnpea
EAPO: @EAPreventionON
Facebook:
The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne: @FPChampagneSMC
The Honourable Deb Schulte: @DebSchulte82
International Longevity Canada: none
CNPEA: @cnpea
EAPO: @EAPreventionON
