Colombo [Sri Lanka], October 14 (ANI): The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region on Tuesday adopted the Colombo Declaration on “Healthy Ageing through Strengthened Primary Health Care”, a landmark framework aimed at improving the health and well-being of the region’s ageing population, which is expected to double by 2050.
Speaking at a ministerial roundtable during the ongoing 78th Regional Committee session in Colombo, Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge for WHO South-East Asia, highlighted that older people are valuable assets who continue to contribute meaningfully to families, communities, and economies when they remain healthy and functional.
“Older people, when in good health and with functional ability, are vital assets and continue to enrich families, communities, societies, and economies. Primary health care is the most inclusive, effective, and efficient pathway to achieve universal health coverage, ensuring that older people can live long, healthy, productive, and meaningful lives,” said Boehme.
The session was attended by Ministers of Health and senior representatives from Member States, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and regional experts.
The Colombo Declaration calls for embedding healthy ageing into national policies and health systems oriented around primary health care (PHC). It seeks to ensure that services are accessible, equitable, integrated, and age-responsive—spanning the entire continuum of care, from prevention and health promotion to rehabilitation, long-term, and palliative care.
Boehme explained that the declaration aligns with the Regional Strategy for Healthy Ageing 2024–2030, which focuses on four priority areas: combating ageism, fostering enabling environments, delivering integrated person-centered care, and ensuring access to long-term care.
“The Ministerial Declaration provides a framework for concrete action. Together, these priorities form a comprehensive foundation on which Member States can strengthen and build policies and programmes that effectively respond to the realities of ageing,” Boehme added.
The declaration also emphasizes strengthening the health and care workforce by developing geriatric and gender-sensitive competencies, supporting both paid and unpaid caregivers, and enabling multidisciplinary, community-based teams to deliver quality care for older adults.
It further calls for adequate resource allocation through innovative financing, public-private partnerships, and cross-ministerial cost-sharing mechanisms to ensure financial protection and universal coverage.
“Lasting progress will depend on increased domestic investment. Healthy ageing must be embedded in national budgets, health plans, and social protection systems,” Boehme said, adding that partnerships with development banks, civil society, private sector, and academia are essential to mobilize resources and scale up solutions.
The Colombo Declaration advocates for integrated, rights-based, person-centered, and gender-sensitive care, tailored to individual needs and preferences. It also urges Member States to strengthen data systems for monitoring and recalibrating programs, and to harness digital health innovations to enhance access, efficiency, and quality of care.
By adopting the declaration, countries committed to combating ageism through legislation, inclusive policies, public education, and intergenerational initiatives that foster dignity, respect, and solidarity between generations.
The South-East Asia Region is experiencing a rapid demographic transition. With Member States’ achievements in extending life expectancy and expanding health care access, the proportion of people aged 60 and above is projected to rise from 11.3 percent in 2024 to 20.9 percent in 2050.
The ministerial session followed a Participatory Dialogue held on October 12 with older people, caregivers, and community representatives from across the region. Recommendations from the dialogue were incorporated into the declaration to ensure that the lived realities of older adults are reflected in national commitments.
“Their testimonies powerfully underscored that ageing is not merely about adding years to life, but about adding life to years—about dignity, purpose, and inclusion,” Boehme said.
“Let us move forward with shared purpose. Together, we can build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable health and care systems—systems that uphold dignity, ensure security, and provide purpose to older persons for generations to come,” she concluded. (ANI)
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