Policy Responses in Asia

Abstract

Chapter 15 (Policy Responses in Asia) focuses initially on Asia’s international policy documents on aging, especially the Macau Plan of Action and the Shanghai Implementation Strategy. The Macau Plan was one of the first international policy documents to address the question of aging and development. The Shanghai Strategy extended this work, with reference to the Asia-Pacific region, in light of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The broad scope of international policy documents on aging, however, calls for attention to prioritizing initiatives as the implementation of an extensive agenda is impractical in low income countries. Because of this, the chapter argues for attention to particular priority areas, namely poverty reduction, health care and support for families, all of which relate to essentials for better survival. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger is the first of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Health care is a key priority because a shorter life, and a higher proportion of it in ill health, is the lot of the average older person in a developing country. Also family care for the aged is widely advocated as a major element of policy proposals, but impoverished and overburdened families cannot fulfill this role alone.

It is essential to integrate the evolving process of global ageing within the larger process of development. Policies on ageing deserve close examination from the developmental perspective of a broader life course and a society-wide view, taking into account recent global initiatives and the guiding principles set down by major United Nations conferences and summits. (United Nations 2002: 6)