III. MECHANISMS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP
99. Ageing-related prospective demands are confronting Arab society with a serious challenge. The Arab Plan of Action on Ageing to the Year 2012 must be implemented: to that end, efforts must be intensified to ensure that all sectors and partners undertake their responsibilities in coordination. National Governments have the primary responsibility for mobilizing the endeavours of trained and qualified human resources, allocating the necessary budgetary resources and taking the appropriate measures to implement the Plan. The need would appear pressing to involve and support NGOs, in order to cover all eventualities and make grassroot contacts and regions that Governments are unable to reach. Technical cooperation and other forms of support must be sought from regional and international organizations in order to assist in implementing the Plan and achieving the intended aims by the year 2012. There is also an urgent need to request the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 661 (1990) to more readily approve contracts for imports related to the needs of older persons in Iraq which are paid for by funds in the escrow account under the terms of the memorandum of understanding.
A. NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS
100. In preparing to face ageing-related issues, the challenges of globalization and the information revolution, and achieve sustainable development, Arab Governments must adopt strategies and policies, take measures and make arrangements and implement programmes that keep abreast of economic and political developments and future challenges.
101. National Governments must be urged to take the following measures:
(a) Apply the United Nations Principles for Older Persons and, in particular, (i) rationalize and direct public action and use available resources at national level; (ii) invest the revenue accruing from social security and pension contributions; (iii) mobilize and tap the expertise of others; (iv) achieve the highest possible level of coordination and complementarity by dividing work and distributing roles between the various Government agencies and NGOs; urging the private sector to become involved; and giving free rein to voluntary organizations and charities; (v) make adequate use of available assistance; (vi) develop the indicators necessary to monitor and follow up implementation of the Plan and identify and overcome obstacles as the need arises;
(b) Formulate ageing-related plans and programmes and establish new and support existing national committees for that purpose;
(c) Allocate specific budgetary resources for the implementation, follow-up and evaluation of ageing-related strategies, programmes and plans;
(d) Review and amend obsolete legislation and enact new laws as needed, as the basis and legal guarantee for public action;
(e) Mainstream ageing policies into social policies and plans;
(f) Call upon States to establish special funds to support ageing-related issues;
(g) Raise awareness and create positive attitudes towards the issues of ageing and older persons;
(h) Accord importance to the issues of ageing and older persons and limit their marginalization by placing them on the agenda of legislators, executives and researchers and utilizing the expertise of older persons;
(i) Establish a gender-disaggregated database on ageing, and develop indicators for policy formulation;
(j) Establish regional information networks on ageing and link them to the Internet;
(k) Take the measures and make the arrangements necessary to establish national committees on ageing and involve them in decision-making processes related to implementation of the recommendations of the Arab Plan of Action on Ageing at national level and in monitoring follow-up and evaluation of implementation;
(l) Adopt mechanisms for coordination and cooperation between the national committees on ageing, NGOs and international NGOs in order to take advantage of all forms of support and assistance;
(m) Adopt, in tandem with civil society organizations, programmes for mobile units to serve older persons within their family environs;
(n) Encourage specialization in geriatrics and give university grants and fellowships in that field.
B. REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
102. Cooperation with regional intergovernmental and United Nations organizations is of paramount importance in implementing the Arab Plan of Action on Ageing. It is essential that national efforts be combined with those of regional and international organizations in order to implement the actions identified in the Plan and ensure its success. Coordination and complementarity at the level of Arab action is required.
The following measures must be taken:
(a) Build a gender-disaggregated database on ageing to be used in formulating appropriate policies, and exchange expertise, information and experiences in that field;
(b) Carry out studies and research on the situation of older persons and employ them as an ¡°early warning system¡± for the issue;
(c) Activate the Arab Association of National Committees on Ageing which was established as part of the League of Arab States Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers;
(d) Forge cooperation and coordination ties in ageing-related issues by holding conferences, seminars and workshops to be used as a basis for joint Arab action on ageing, and activate cooperation and coordination mechanisms between Arab States in the framework of the League of Arab States;
(e) Enhance cooperation and coordination between ESCWA and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the Executive Bureau of the Council of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in GCC States in respect of ageing-related issues and follow-up of the implementation of the Plan;
(f) Strengthen cooperation and coordination between Arab States and ESCWA, in its capacity as the regional arm of the United Nations secretariat, with a view to developing and following-up implementation of the Plan;
(g) Request the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States to submit the Plan to the next meeting of the Council of Arab Social Affairs Ministers for adoption;
(h) Urge the United Nations and the relevant international funds to provide financial and technical support to the Arab States in order to enable them to implement the Plan.
