International observance highlights needs of aging population

"Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All" is the theme of the United Nations' (U.N.) International Day of Older Persons today. The observance was created in 1990.

This year's theme, according to the U.N., is meant to emphasize that "demography matters for sustainable development and that population dynamics will shape the key developmental challenges that the world in confronting in the 21st century. If our ambition is to 'Build the Future We Want,' we must address the population over 60, which is expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030."

In observance of International Day of Older Persons, the John Marshall Law School in Chicago and Roosevelt University hosted a program to discuss the next steps for the Chicago Declaration on the Rights of Older Persons, proposed legislation that aims to provide legal protections to older adults under international human rights law. A delegation from John Marshall first presented the declaration to the UN on Aug. 1.