As heads of State and their Governments meet in New York to agree the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we celebrate the fact that older people are included in 15 of the 17 Global Goals – the agenda set to dominate the next 15 years of international and national development.

Age International, as a member of the HelpAge Global Network, has been working tirelessly to make sure older people are not left out of this crucial agenda – which has the power to impact the lives of billions of people and shape the future of our planet.

Happily, the SDGs have honoured their commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ by including older people either directly or by implication in 15 of the 17 Global Goals and their targets.

Goal 3 – ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’ – in particular sends a powerful message to all governments that older people around the world have a basic human right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health and wellbeing as they age.

Ageism must end now, once and for all

Speaking to the plenary of assembled member states at the three day Summit, Sylvia Beales from HelpAge International, said: ‘We congratulate you on embedding age in the goals and targets. We especially commend your pledge to leave no one behind. We look to you to ensure that these promises are kept.’

‘Counting in everything from birth to death, reaching the furthest first, means embracing all of us – young and old – as partners. Even though ageing is happening fastest in the developing world, basic requirements for living well in later life do not exist.

‘We all want to age well, in safety and in dignity. We want the same for our children. Ageism must end now, once and for all.’