Kuwait reaffirms its support for drafting a legally binding international instrument to protect the human rights of older persons

Kuwait reaffirmed today, Tuesday, its support for international efforts aimed at drafting a legally binding instrument to enhance and protect the human rights of older persons, thereby addressing existing gaps in the international protection framework and establishing a balanced legal framework that ensures their dignity, independence, and full enjoyment of their rights without discrimination.

This was stated in a statement by Kuwait, delivered by Hanan Al-Sultan, Third Secretary in the Department of Human Rights Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the opening of the second session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the Human Rights of Older Persons, convened at the United Nations Office in Geneva from October 26 to 30, 2026.

Al-Sultan emphasized the importance of the international instrument being grounded in a human rights-based approach and established international standards, and that it include clear legal provisions defining states’ responsibilities to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of older persons, while taking into account the diversity of national legal systems, the nature of legal obligations, and their feasibility.

She underscored Kuwait’s commitment to incorporating legal safeguards that protect older persons from violence, neglect, and exploitation, preserve their independence and legal capacity, and guarantee their rights to health, social protection, access to justice, services, and information, as well as addressing their needs in emergencies, crises, and challenges related to digital transformation.

In her speech, Al-Sultan also outlined Kuwait’s national efforts to develop its legislative and institutional framework concerning the rights of older persons, noting the completion of the National Strategy for Older Persons in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the development of mechanisms for institutional coordination, monitoring of programs, and services.

In this context, she stressed the importance of leveraging existing national and international mechanisms to implement the instrument and monitor compliance with its provisions, avoiding duplication in follow-up and reporting procedures, while giving due attention to international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity-building.

Al-Sultan further expressed Kuwait’s hope that negotiations, through constructive dialogue and consensus, would result in a balanced international legal framework that provides comprehensive protection for the rights of older persons and establishes clear, actionable obligations.