Against Ageism and Towards Active Social Citizenship for Older Persons - The Current Use and Future Potential of the European Social Charter (2022)

How can we combat ageism and ensure active social citizenship for older persons? How can we effectively use international human rights instruments and in particular the European Social Charter to combat discrimination against older people? How can we better cooperate to ensure the rights of older persons are guaranteed?

This study examines how the situation of older people in Europe can be improved and how the different international human rights standards can be optimised to uphold the rights of older persons and inspire national policies ensuring respect for dignity, equality and non-discrimination. It also analyses the role of different stakeholders - governments, civil society, national human rights institutions/equality bodies - and whether and how the European Social Charter can equip all of them to interact effectively in moving Europe away from the ageist laws and policies of the past.

More importantly, the study lays out a vision of how the Charter can be optimised in the future as Europe struggles to eliminate ageist laws and policies. Therefore, the meeting aims to examine the suggested recommendations and explore concrete ways of their implementation at national level.

The European Social Charter, adopted in 1961 and revised in 1996, is the counterpart of the European Convention on Human Rights in the field of economic and social rights. It guarantees a broad range of human rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social protection and welfare. No other legal instrument at pan-European level provides such an extensive and complete protection of social rights as that provided by the Charter. The Charter is therefore seen as the Social Constitution of Europe and represents an essential component of the continent’s human rights architecture.