Girls, Ageing and Intergenerational Justice : Building a Common Future; Recommendation 8

a)      Adopt an intergenerational justice approach to women’s human rights and empowerment, recognising the specific priorities, needs and circumstances of women at different of stages of their life course, especially girls and older women, and mothers.

b)      Eliminate age-based stereotypes which undermine the full potential and effective participation and leadership of women and girls of all ages.

c)      Develop an international convention on the rights of older persons, incorporating rights articulated in CEDAW.

d)      Raise and implement the legal minimum age of marriage to 18, as part of full implementation of CRC and CEDAW, in all countries where this has not yet been done.

e)      Recognize young women as a critical population group in achieving development and ensure young women’s effective participation in leadership and decision-making at all levels.

f)       Ensure older women adequate income to live in dignity and implement social protection laws and policies that enable older women to be autonomous, full participants in the development of society.  

g)      Recognize and address the intergenerational and intersectional dimensions of all forms of violence, abuse and neglect.

h)      Collect, analyse, report and utilize data disaggregated by sex, age, disability and marital status.

i)        Enable age-friendly rural and urban physical and social environments, structures and services accessible to and inclusive of older women with varying capacities, and women with disabilities.

j)        Ensure mutual respect and equal partnership between girls and boys and among women and girls of all ages.

The Geneva NGO Forum appreciates the extensive volunteer support and contributions of women’s and feminist organizations and individuals, as well as all the partners that supported the Beijing+20 NGO Review especially the Governments of Switzerland, the State of Geneva, the City of Geneva, Canada, the Netherlands, and the USA, among others. We deeply extend our gratitude to the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) and UN Women for their collaboration. The forum was convened by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women (CSW), Geneva. Further information is available on http://beijing20.ngocsw-geneva.ch/.