From April 23 to 24, the parliamentarians’ meeting on ICPD30 was held in Tokyo, Japan. The event was organized by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA), and the Japan Parliamentarians Federation for Population (JPFP), with support from the UNFPA. Officials from over 10 countries including Japan, China and Singapore, plus representatives from academia and partner organizations such as the UNFPA, discussed policies, legislation, and programs aimed at achieving healthy ageing. Hon. In-Young Lee, Member of the 21st National Assembly and the President of the Korean Parliamentary League on Children, Population, and Environment(CPE), represented the Republic of Korea during the meeting.
During the opening session, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Kamikawa Yoko emphasized the need for healthcare that leaves no one behind, providing Japan's “Universal Health Coverage (UHC)” as an example. He further stressed the importance of parliamentary discussions to facilitate the ICPD’s action plan, while expressing his hope that the meeting will foster international efforts to address the issues of population and development from the perspective of ageing. UNFPA Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Andrew Saberton, also took part in this session.
The meeting involved four further sessions, addressing population ageing from gender perspective, digital technologies to support healthy ageing, policy priorities for ageing-friendly environments, and Asia-Pacific population trends, respectively. The second session included a presentation on Korea’s policy making experiences utilizing AI to care for the elderly, conducted by Seoul National University’s Prof. Suk-won Lee. All sessions focused on policies, systems, and services for solving ageing-related issues, and emphasized the necessity of supporting all generations across the life span to address fundamental developmental challenges.
The discussions held during the meeting culminated in several key recommendations. The importance of promoting active and healthy ageing was reiterated, while the need for data collection, analysis, and dissemination focusing on needs of the older population was recognized. The exigency of securing social and technological innovation to serve the needs of the ageing population was emphasized, in addition to bolstering the promotion of healthy lifestyles throughout the entire life cycle. Moreover, the parliamentarians pledged to promote macro-level planning in the context of emerging population trends, and expressed their commitment toward the ICPD Programme of Action as well as the 2030 Agenda.
