Background:

The International Conference on the Human Rights of Older Persons (ICHRoP) will be held from 12 – 13 Nov 2018. The Austrian Government has invited UN Member States and other international experts to engage in a substantive discussion about the specific areas of Robotics and Automation – Implications for Human Rights to result in a Declaration to be presented to the 10th Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA).

It is vital that civil society is ready to participate actively and effectively in these discussions and put forward concrete recommendations to ensure the incorporation of a human rights-based approach to the issue; to involve older persons themselves in the decision-making process, and to build a stronger understanding about these specific areas and how they might be addressed in a convention.

The NGO Committee on Ageing, Vienna, in partnership with the NGO Committees on Ageing, NY and Geneva are hosting a networking workshop to capitalize on this momentum to support a deeper understanding among NGOs to influence the discussions at the OEWGA of normative elements and to advance the promotion of a New Convention on the Human Rights for Older Persons objective within this meeting, other human rights fora and the upcoming 10th OEWGA session.

Aims of the Forum:

• To enhance coordination among NGOs participating in the ICHRoP
  
• To support NGO engagement in the OEWGA process at the 10th OEWGA and intersessionally
  
• To strengthen connections among NGOs and other key stakeholders in the OEWGA process