A two-day workshop held in Niamey, the capital of the Republic of Niger,on 24-25 January 2019 discussed a strategy document by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the improvement of the well-being of the elderly.The workshop was inaugurated by the speech of the Minister of Population of the Republic of Niger Dr. AmadouAissataIssaMaiga and the address of the OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, in the presence of the First Lady of the Niger, Mrs. Lalla Malika Issoufou, the officials of the OIC General Secretariat as well as representatives of the Member States participating in the workshop.
The Minister of Population of the Republic of Niger, Dr. Maiga stressed in his speech the efforts undertaken by the Republic of Niger to improve the living conditions of the elderly who represent 4.4% of the population of Niger. The Minister underlined the urgent need to produce an Action Plan in order to strengthen the well-being of the elderly in the OIC Member States.
In his address,delivered by Mrs. MehlaTalebna, Director General of Cultural, Social and Family Affairs at the OIC,the Secretary Generalexpressedhis confidence that the OIC strategy document on the improvement of the well-being of the elderly, once translated into an Action Plan will provide the relevant guide lines for the Member States to enhance their own national mechanisms at the levels of social promotion, economic support and healthcare provided to the elderly.
Dr. Al Othaimeen emphasized that the efforts made so far in addressing the challenges of ageing in the OIC Member States are still limited and require additional actions and practical measures. Therefore, the Niamey workshop is an important step that will be followed by further steps to develop the framework for implementing the OIC strategy on best practices in the Member States and relevant OIC institutions, to promote new policies to ensure the well-being of the elderly.