Israel welcomes the holding of the sixth session of the open ended working group on ageing. Our countries populations are living longer and as such, ageing has become one of the greatest social and economic challenges of the 21st century.

In Israel, life expectancy is averaged at 80.3 for men and 83.9 for women and the OECD has predicted that by 2050, 16.6% of the population will be over the age of 65.  These numbers compel us to think ahead and plan for the future – a future in which older persons are integrated into society and where age discrimination does not exist.

In order to do so, in Israel we have taken immediate steps to ensure that older persons live in dignity and that their basic needs are met. These steps are a result of a joint effort by all stakeholders – Government, civil society and the private sector.

Mr. Chairman,

The Israeli government, led by the Minister for senior citizens has gone to great lengths in order to tackle the major elements preventing elderly people from fully enjoying their rights. For example, we raised the supplementary income received from the government and developed employment opportunities to alleviate poverty. Also, Israel subsidizes vital services such as health care and public transportation. Community based frameworks encourage older persons to be involved and independent by providing a variety of volunteering programs in hospitals, children day care centers and more.

My own grandmother, Mina Marko, is a good example for that. She is an 87 year old holocaust survivor, who has been volunteering in a Hospital in her home town for the past 10 years. Volunteering has given her a purpose and brought light to her life. This is priceless and I am extremely proud of her.  

Mr. Chairman,

The different programs and legislation could not have been achieved without the involvement of civil society. NGO’s are an integral part of the work being done in Israel; joint committees are working to advance the rights of the elderly. For Example, In Tel Aviv, an Advisory Council of elders was formed to give advice to the city council on issues of urban planning and services for the elderly.

Mr. Chairman,

The private sector and Academia in Israel has also played a key role in the advancements made for the elderly. I’m sure that you are familiar with Israel’s nickname - the start-up nation. All over the world, elderly people enjoy the fruits of Israeli innovation.

Our entrepreneurs developed technologies like Hip-Hope. Hip-Hope is a revolutionary active hip protector device, providing unprecedented fall impact absorption effectiveness, combined with highly reliable real-time fall detection capability.

Entrepreneurs at an Israeli company called Erica Carmel Developed the B-Cure Laser that  provides clinical soft laser power in a light, portable, rechargeable and user friendly medical device.

It helps in the rapid, non-invasive and efficient treatment of pain, wounds, burns, inflammation and more.

Israeli minds are also behind the treatment for mild to moderate dementia, in cases of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This treatment was developed by Prof. Marta Weinstock-Rosin of the Department of Pharmacology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Mr. Chairman,

These achievements are remarkable and we are very proud to share them, as well as our best practices, with the rest of the world. We would not have been able to do so much or go so far without our parents and grandparents first paving the way. It is now our responsibility to make sure that not only is their present but also that their future is secure and inclusive.

I wish us all a fruitful and meaningful session,

Thank you Mr. Chairman.