The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency George Manneh Weah has by Proclamation declared Monday, October 1, 2018 as “United Nations World Older People Day” and is to be celebrated throughout the Republic as a Working Holiday.

The Proclamation calls on national and international organizations, United Nations agencies near Monrovia and citizens in general to cooperate with the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection in organizing appropriate programs befitting the occasion.

The Proclamation is in consonance with the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolutions 4.5/106 which was adopted December 14, 1990 declaring the International Day of Older Persons to be observed on October 1 of each year by member countries.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the observance is intended to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly as well as to appreciate the contributions they have made to society in the areas of education, medicine, economic, science and technology, social services, history as well as the  preservation of cultural heritage.

According to the release, Liberia will celebrate this year’s ”United Nations World Older People Day” as a demonstration of its appreciation for the contributions of the elders towards the Socio-economic development of the Country.

The commemoration will witness a Three-day awareness parade from September 30 to October 2, 2018 as well as the hosting of a National Conference on Aging.

The Proclamation considers the legal and moral standards and expectations already set in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the United Nations’ Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Woman (CEDAW) to modify laws, Regulations and customs that discriminate against older women, and the Resolution of the African Union to protect the rights of the older people.

“The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is the legally recognized institution in Liberia charged with the authority to provide services and address the needs of older people in the country in collaboration with non-governmental organizations such as the Coalition of Caregivers and Advocates for the Elderly in Liberia (COCAEL), the Proclamation further declared.