17/07/2026
Civil society at its best.
Behind every milestone in international cooperation stand people who believe that collaboration is the surest path to the common good, grounded in human rights and solidarity.
This photograph captures far more than a successful week in Geneva. It reflects what can be achieved when organizations from around the world come together with a shared commitment to advancing the human rights of older persons.
Throughout the first substantive session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons, civil society brought together expertise, lived experience and practical proposals, contributing to the historic process of drafting a future United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Despite an intensive programme, the week was marked by dialogue, mutual respect, professionalism and a shared determination to move the process forward.
Our deepest appreciation goes to GAROP – the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People for its outstanding leadership. Through months of preparation, substantive expertise and exceptional coordination—including common positions, daily briefings, coordination meetings and the Daily Bulletins—GAROP enabled nearly one hundred NGOs in Geneva to work as one constructive and coordinated civil society community, while giving voice to its global alliance of more than 400 member organizations. It exemplified leadership through service, partnership and trust.
The NGO Committee on Ageing (Geneva) is proud to have collaborated closely with GAROP throughout this journey, including co-convening the NGO Briefing that prepared civil society for the opening of the session. Above all, we are proud to be part of this dedicated and solidarity-driven community working to advance the human rights of older persons.
We are equally proud to have contributed alongside a remarkable coalition of partners, including GAROP and the wider civil society community, National Human Rights Institutions, academia, United Nations experts, H.E. Ambassador Carlos Mario Foradori, Chair-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group, the Core Group of Member States, and the many Member States that participated actively and constructively throughout the week.
Together, we demonstrated that lasting international progress is achieved through dialogue, partnership and a shared commitment to ensuring that every older person can fully enjoy their human rights, dignity, autonomy and meaningful participation in society.
The session has concluded, but the journey continues.
The Convention is still to be written. This week reminded us that its greatest strength already exists: a global community working together to make it a reality.
