Rights of older persons in international law: A rights-based and comparative analysis
Keywords:
Older Persons, International Human Rights Law, Ageing, Age Discrimination, Dignity, Legal ProtectionAbstract
Population ageing has intensified the need for a coherent international legal framework for protecting older persons across changing social, economic and technological conditions. This study examines the evolution of international protection through a doctrinal and comparative legal analysis of universal human rights instruments, ageing-specific standards, regional treaties and recent United Nations developments. The analysis considers six recurring themes—independence, participation, care, dignity, social and economic security, and enabling environments—alongside age specificity, legal status, state obligations, autonomy, non-discrimination, protection from abuse, monitoring and enforceability. The findings show substantial normative continuity, but also increasing age specificity, stronger attention to autonomy and equality, and the conversion of established principles into binding regional obligations. Important gaps remain in digital exclusion, algorithmic age discrimination, technology-enabled financial exploitation, long-term care, privacy and end-of-life decision-making. The study argues that the principal challenge is not the absence of recognised principles but their uneven legal implementation. The emerging global treaty process offers an opportunity to consolidate dispersed protections into a clearer, age-specific and more enforceable framework while preserving older persons’ agency.
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