NCFA discusses strategies, plans to better serve senior citizens

AMMAN — The National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) on Thursday held a meeting with the committee entrusted with following up on the implementation of the National Strategy for Senior Citizens, calling on all stakeholders to start executing the activities stipulated in the action plan towards the celebration of the International Day for Older Persons on October 1. 

On October last year, the council submitted to the government the updated version of the strategy for the years 2018-2022 which is centred around scaling up the level of services offered to the elderly. 

During the ceremony, NCFA Secretary General Fadel Al Hmoud noted that “the most significant feature of the new strategy is that all age groups from all governorates have had their share in its preparation, incorporating their needs into the strategy's executive plan”, adding, "It reflects the vision of a society in which the elderly enjoy positive ageing that guarantees a decent living and involvement with the community.”

“The formulation of the strategy rested on a results-oriented methodology in line with the international best practices in this field, and it is based on priority pillars and initiatives with corresponding measures to ensure their effective implementation,” Hmoud continued.

“To realise these pillars, an enabling environment has to be created in order to ensure the development of a legislative and regulatory environment that is responsive to elderly key issues,” the official added. 

To this end, the NCFA will soon prepare a form listing all projects implemented by stakeholders since the beginning of the present year in order to assess the extent to which the goals of the strategy have been achieved, NCFA Communications Director Khadijah Alaween told The Jordan Times. 

The meeting was attended by representatives of several governmental organisations, including the Public Security Directorate, the Family Protection Department, the Higher Population Council and the ministries of health, social development and Islamic affairs.

During the discussion, participants agreed on the need to convene in a nationwide conference aimed at assessing the urgent issues affecting the elderly in the Kingdom, in addition to drafting a law on the protection of the elder sectors of the population, according to Alaween. 

In addition, representatives of the INGO HelpAge International and the German development agency GiZ were invited to present their services for the elderly, raising the possibility of contributing as international bodies in the implementation of the strategy’s activities.