From New York to Geneva: advancing a new international human rights convention for older persons

Despite rapid global demographic ageing, older persons remain a significant population group without a dedicated, UN-based, binding international human rights instrument. Over the past two decades, however, a concerted global effort has emerged to advance the creation of such a treaty. This article traces the evolution of United Nations initiatives aimed at filling this normative gap – beginning with the early and fragmented recognition of older persons’ rights in development and social policy frameworks; continuing through the establishment and subsequent stagnation of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWG) in New York (2010–2024); and culminating in the Human Rights Council's historic 2025 decision in Geneva to launch a drafting process for a new international convention. By analysing this institutional and conceptual shift, the article argues that the move from New York (i.e. the OEWG) to Geneva (i.e. the HRC) signifies a fundamental re-centering of older persons as human rights holders rather than as subjects of social development or welfare policy alone. The article contends that the Human Rights Council's decision represents a decisive step toward the long-awaited codification of the rights of older persons under international law and a reframing of global ageing policy.