There is a growing consensus that researching and developing therapeutic interventions into degenerative aging processes is a necessary condition for improving the health and longevity of the rapidly aging global population Thus, the research and development of therapies against degenerative aging processes (anti-aging) and for prevention of major aging-related diseases is a necessary condition for alleviating the severe economic, healthcare and humanitarian challenges of the global aging society. And therefore, promoting the research and development in the field of anti-aging and aging-related disease prevention is becoming an urgent national and international task. How can the field of anti-aging and disease prevention be promoted globally to solve the challenge of bringing effective, safe and accessible anti-aging and preventive therapies to the world as soon as possible? A significant further step was taken toward the solution of this challenge with the establishment of the new Executive Committee on Anti-aging and Disease Prevention, a joint effort of UNESCO and China World Peace Foundation. 

The Executive Committee on Anti-aging and Disease Prevention was established in the framework of Science and Technology, Pharmacology and Medicine Themes under an Interactive Atlas along the Silk Roads, UNESCO. The committee inauguration took place during the 2nd (Beijing) Annual International Biomedical Health Conference and the 1st Academician Forum of Transnational Biomedical Field, in Beijing, on December 16, 2019 (http://www.isoad.org). 

See more details about the establishment of the UNESCO committee in the report of the International Society on Aging and Disease – ISOAD (one of the main co-organizers of the UNESCO committee) in Aging and Disease, the journal of the International Society on Aging and Disease, entitled:

“The Urgent Need for International Action for Anti-aging and Disease Prevention”

Aging and Disease, 2020, 11(1): 212-215

http://www.aginganddisease.org/article/2020/2152-5250/ad-11-1-212.shtml

And related news:

The next major gathering of the UNESCO Committee on Anti-Aging and Disease Prevention will take place during the 4th International Conference on Aging and Disease (4th ICAD) of the International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD) that will be held at China National Convention Center, Beijing, China, from October 30 to November 2, 2020.

This will be a high level gathering of leading experts from many countries and various professional disciplines engaged in research and training in the fields of aging and aged-related disease. The mission of ISOAD is to improve health and quality of life by stimulating research focused on understanding the biological linkage between aging and disease. This conference will further advance this mission and provide a platform that will help to fill the current gap between studies of the basic biology of aging and of aged-related disease. We expect that about 1,500 scientists, physicians and students will attend from all over the world.

Detailed information about the conference, including the venue, confirmed speakers, program, call for papers, and registration, can be found at:  http://www.isoad.org/Data/List/Conference 

We wish the new UNESCO Committee on Anti-Aging and Disease Prevention the best of success in its vitally important mission!

And we look forward to seeing you in Beijing, China, from October 30 to November 2, 2020!

On behalf of the International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD)

www.isoad.org

As every year since 2013, about three months ahead, we start preparing for the Longevity Month campaign in October (also commonly designated as “Longevity Day” for particular daily events during October). This traditional campaign has combined the activities of many organizations and individual activists working to promote research, development and application for healthy longevity around the world. During the years, hundreds of events, publications and other promotional actions were organized in dozens of countries in the framework of this campaign. These activities help build up the longevity activism into a massive global grassroots movement with a sizable impact on public health and research policy.

Here are some examples of the past activities. https://www.longevityforall.org/longevity-day-and-longevity-month-october-2018/

This year too, we invite you to organize longevity-related events, publications and promotions during the month of October, advocating to enhance research, development and education for the promotion of healthy longevity and prevention of aging-related diseases.

If you organize or participate in an event, publication or promotion in your country, please contact us, so we could present and combine the events together as a united global campaign.  Thank you for your support and involvement!

longevityalliance@googlegroups.com

longevityforallinfo@gmail.com

(Updated November 1, 2018)

As every year since 2013, we organize the campaign: International Longevity Day (October 1) and/or International Longevity Month (October) in support of biomedical research of aging and longevity. In the past 5 years, hundreds of events, meetings, publications and promotions in dozens of countries were held as a part of this campaign.

Also this year, excellent events were organized as a part of the Longevity Month campaign in October, including: 

1. France

The conference of the International Society on Aging and Disease on October 5-7 in Nice

http://www.isoad.org/Data/List/Conference

2. Spain 

Transvision 2018 on October 19-21 in Madrid

http://transvisionmadrid.com/

3. Israel

Awareness campaign – Healthy Longevity through research and development (throughout October).

http://www.longevityisrael.org/longevity-month-israel-october-2018/

A conference at the Weizman Institute of Science “Promoting Longevity: Targeting Aging and Age-related Diseases”

4. Belgium

Announcing the results of the Longevity Film Competition (organized by HEALES, SENS Research Foundation and ILA) on October 1 https://longevityfilmcompetition.com/

http://www.longevityalliance.org/?q=longevity-film-competition-until-september-15th

5. Russia

The international school “Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases” – Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology from September 30 to October 3

https://biomembranes2018.ru/program/satellite-events/

6. Italy

Senior Expo. Prevention and Family. Cosenza. October 4,5,6

https://www.facebook.com/events/643160249394686/

7. Bulgaria

The conference on Vanguard Scientific Instruments in Management (VSIM) in Ravda, on September 11-16, including a section on longevity and future technologies, with a following promotion and declaration during the International Longevity Day – October 1.

http://vsim-conf.info/en/

8. Pakistan

An awareness campaign organized by the Pakistan Aging Research Society (PARS) and the National Academy of Young Scientists (NAYS)

https://www.facebook.com/events/525281527894931/

9. Cyprus

Here are some exemplary events, promotions and publications from the past 5 years of this campaign. 

https://www.facebook.com/LongevityDay/

http://www.longevityforall.org/longevity-day-and-longevity-month-october-2017/

If you organize an event, meeting, publication or any other kind of promotion – please share your plans, so this year too we can create a sizeable public awareness campaign in support of aging and longevity research, development and application.

Ilia Stambler

Longevity for All

Dear friends,

Following the previous extensive discussion and the recent WHO Executive Board Meeting that was completed on January 27, I felt it was necessary to provide an update on the campaign that many longevity activists were conducting for the inclusion of aging health into the WHO work program.

Briefly: Congratulations, the longevity activists have won!

Thanks to the international advocacy campaign, WHO now has included a strong focus on “healthy aging” into the new WHO draft work program.

See the latest work program draft in English and all the 6 UN official languages (as of January 2018)

http://www.who.int/about/what-we-do/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB142/B142_3-en.pdf?ua=1

See especially paragraphs 15, 16, 17, 37, including the WHO commitment to advance the Global Strategy and Action Plan (GSAP) on Ageing and Health (until 2020, including the strategic objective 5 for “improving measurement, monitoring and understanding of healthy ageing”) and to prepare for the Decade of Healthy Aging (2020-2030).

Perhaps the most significant for advocacy is that Paragraph 17 of the work program declares that “Ensuring healthy ageing is an urgent challenge in all countries” and Paragraph 15 declares the major public health goal “to live not just long but also healthy lives” and suggests the use of “healthy life expectancy” as the main measure of health care success. Such goals and measures for healthy longevity can be advocated and quoted also at the national and local level.

Further, WHO published the specific targets and indicators of the WHO 13th General Programme of Work (GPW) 2019-2023. The main target for advancing aging health in the WHO work program is: “Reduce the number of older adults 65+ yrs who are care dependent by 15 million” – from the estimated baseline of 180 million in 2017 to 165 million in 2023. The data are to be evaluated through national population surveys, though the measurements of “care dependence” and distributions by countries and regions are not clear. Yet, as the program states, “Agreed impact indicator framework [is] under development prior to the Decade for Healthy Ageing 2020-2030”. This can provide further justifications to advance healthy longevity as well as an item for consultation and reporting, nationally and internationally.

So thanks again to everybody who participated in the campaign to include aging health into the WHO work program for your contribution! Here the head of the WHO Ageing and Life Course division acknowledges the importance of this campaign for the change of the program, and quotes the article “Aging health and R&D for healthy longevity must be included into the WHO work program” as an example of the successful joint advocacy effort.

WHO has listened!! 90% external feedback asked for bigger focus on ageing. New draft program highlights issue and includes a global target for first time – Reduce the number 65+ who are care dependent by 15 million. We work towards DECADE OF #HEALTHYAGEING https://t.co/fdit7Mg0gN

— John Beard (@DrJohnBeard) December 6, 2017

https://twitter.com/DrJohnBeard/status/938418218473082881

http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2017.1120

Hopefully, this advocacy will continue, to ensure healthy longevity is not just planned, but actively advanced and implemented. If you organize or are involved in further longevity advocacy campaigns – either for specific topics (like the one for the WHO) or specific dates and occasions – please share your plans and actions, so we could coordinate together and create a stronger impact!

Thankfully,

Ilia Stambler, PhD

Chairman. Israeli Longevity Alliance (ISRLA). Chief Science Officer. Vetek (Seniority) Association – the Senior Citizens Movement (Israel)

http://www.longevityisrael.org/

Outreach coordinator. International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD)

http://www.isoad.org/

Coordinator. Longevity for All

http://www.longevityforall.org/

An update on the issue of the exclusion of the subject of aging health and any measures for its improvement from the WHO Work Program for 2019-2023. An advocacy campaign has been taking place to introduce these issues into the WHO Work Program, via the open public consultation that WHO now conducts about the program. It is really easy to participate in the consultation, to tell the WHO that aging health is important and R&D for healthy longevity is important. Any one can do it right now via this link:

http://www.who.int/about/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

Some backgrounds on the WHO work program and this advocacy campaign:

http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2017.1120

http://www.isoad.org/Data/View/745

http://www.longevityforall.org/aging-is-excluded-from-who-work-program-please-react/

https://www.facebook.com/longevityforall/posts/1466226320080764

Now the update (as of November 25, 2017):

It looks like our joint advocacy efforts so far with the WHO had some effects. About 90% of the responses (of over 400 by Nov. 19 and more are coming in) were about the lack of aging in the WHO program. And following those comments, as the “proposed action” WHO apparently plans to commit to including WHO’s earlier “Global Strategy and Action Plan on Aging and Health – GSAP” in its work program (including GSAP strategic objective 5 “Improving measurement, monitoring and research on Healthy Ageing”).

(Of course, that is just partial information, mainly according to the WHO Presentation

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2017/executive-special-session/executive-board-slides.pdf?ua=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155224996319001&set=a.10151164471979001.443216.609694000&type=3&theater&ifg=1

It is still too early to make any definite conclusions. We will still need to watch the process for the long run, and respond accordingly.)

But apparently some contribution was made. Thank you very much for your involvement and effort!

That is just a start. We can still advocate with WHO for the strong emphasis on aging health and R&D for healthy longevity through May 2018 (when the work program is submitted to the WHO assembly).

Even now you are welcome to continue responding to the WHO consultation, and emphasize the importance of aging health and biomedical aging research, as the deadline was again extended through Nov. 29, if you have not yet done so. http://www.who.int/about/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

Please also spread the word (also in the media and social media, as mass media ignores this topic, even though this issue relates basically to everybody). We have to make the need to promote aging health overwhelmingly clear to WHO (>95%)! 

In particular, please see: The joint position statement, entitled “Aging health and R&D for healthy longevity must be included into the WHO Work Program” published in Aging and Disease. 9(1):1-3, 2018. Available on line:

http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2017.1120

http://www.isoad.org/Data/View/745

The signatories include leaders of the International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD), American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), International Federation on Ageing (IFA), International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics – IAGG (European Region and Asia-Oceania), International Longevity Center – Australia, The Gerontological Society of the Russian Academy of Sciences, African Society for Ageing Research and Development (ASARD), Israeli Longevity Alliance/Vetek (Seniority) Association (Israel).

You may consider some of the points raised in that position statement, and are welcome to reference this document in your advocacy efforts!

Thanks again!

Ilia Stambler, PhD

Outreach coordinator. International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD)

http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2017.1120

http://www.isoad.org/Data/View/745

Chairman. Israeli Longevity Alliance. CSO. Vetek (Seniority) Association – the Senior Citizens Movement (Israel)

http://www.longevityisrael.org/

Longevity for all

http://www.longevityforall.org/aging-is-excluded-from-who-work-program-please-react/

https://www.facebook.com/longevityforall/photos/a.781457785224291.1073741828.668820539821350/1478935032143226/?type=3&theater

Further update (as of December 7, 2017).

Concretely, it looks like the WHO intends to amend the draft Work Program to include the clause “Reduce the number 65+ who are care dependent by 15 million”.

WHO has listened!! 90% external feedback asked for bigger focus on ageing. New draft program highlights issue and includes a global target for first time – Reduce the number 65+ who are care dependent by 15 million. We work towards DECADE OF #HEALTHYAGEING https://t.co/fdit7Mg0gN

— John Beard (@DrJohnBeard) December 6, 2017

That is just a preliminary notion. Yet even this notion appears to be encouraging. Of course, this is not a strong impact objective, considering there are hundreds of millions of elderly whose care dependence needs to be improved, also thanks to developing better therapies and technologies through biomedical research of aging. But it may be a good start for introducing the objective of improving aging health, also for national advocacy efforts — considering that originally the issue was not in the WHO work program at all, and was introduced thanks to the international advocacy campaign!

Update January 9, 2017

Indeed, thanks to the international advocacy campaign, WHO has included a focus on “healthy aging” into the new WHO draft work program (the advance version was published on line on January 5, in the link below). See especially paragraphs 15, 16, 17, 37, including the WHO commitment to advance the Global Strategy and Action Plan (GSAP) on Ageing and Health (until 2020, including the strategic objective 5 for “improving measurement, monitoring and understanding of healthy ageing”) and to prepare for the Decade of Healthy Aging (2020-2030).

Perhaps the most significant for advocacy is that Paragraph 15 of the work program declares the major public health goal “to live not just long but also healthy lives” and suggests the use of “healthy life expectancy” as the main measure of health care success. Such goals and measures for healthy longevity can be advocated and quoted also at the national and local level.

http://www.who.int/about/what-we-do/gpw13-expert-group/Draft-GPW13-Advance-Edited-5Jan2018.pdf?ua=1

So thanks again to everybody who participated in the campaign to include aging health into the WHO work program for your contribution! Here the head of the WHO Ageing and Life Course division acknowledges the importance of this campaign for the change of the program, and quotes the article “Aging health and R&D for healthy longevity must be included into the WHO work program” as an example of the joint advocacy effort.

https://twitter.com/DrJohnBeard/status/938418218473082881

http://www.aginganddisease.org/article/0000/2152-5250/147696

Hopefully, this advocacy will continue to ensure healthy longevity is not just planned, but actively advanced and implemented. Let us see what is finally decided at the WHO Executive Board meeting on January 22-27 about the program and the place of healthy longevity and R&D for healthy longevity in it. http://www.who.int/about/what-we-do/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

It appears that in the forthcoming work program of the World Health Organization for the next 5 years – 2018-2023 – the issue of aging and aging-related ill health is excluded completely!

http://www.who.int/about/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

This means that, within the next 5 years, according to this document, the World Health Organization is not obliged to do anything to care for the health of older persons or to improve their health, not to mention conduct any research and development to create new therapies and technologies for improving the health of the aged. The issues of aged health are not in the WHO work program! This is the essence of ageism in health care and health research!

It should be obvious, not just to any health professional but to any lay person, that the global population aging poses grave and urgent challenges for global health, in the “developed” as well as the “developing” world. In the “developing world” in particular, not addressing the problems of aging, not improving national geriatric care and research capabilities, will condemn millions of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged older people to misery that could be avoided. The explicit exclusion of the health needs of the global aging population in the WHO draft work program is inadmissible, even incredible.

How can this exclusion coexist with the mission of WHO’s division on “Ageing and Life Course”? How can it coexist with the recently adopted WHO’s Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health (GSAP) for 2016-2020, endorsed by all the WHO member states? According to its goal statement, the GSAP must prepare for the “Decade of Healthy Ageing from 2020 to 2030” which was also announced by WHO. We urge the WHO to improve coordination among its various arms!

Most importantly, we urge the WHO to include and emphasize specific tasks and goals to maintain and improve the health of the global aging population in its work program. Among others, these tasks and goals must include enhancing scientific research and technological development aimed to provide new effective and safe therapies to meet the pressing health needs of the global aging population.

Ilia Stambler, PhD

Chief Science Officer. Vetek (Seniority) Association – the Senior Citizens Movement (Israel)

http://www.longevityisrael.org/

Coordinator. Longevity for All

www.longevityforall.org/

ilia.stambler@gmail.com

PS.

We also urge you to make your voice heard, and respond to the WHO consultation, in the link below (the deadline is until November 23, the responding is easy, and can be of any length, even very short). Please demand that WHO emphasizes the health care and research for the global aging population, and includes specific tasks and goals to improve health of the global aging population into its work program.

Even after this public consultation is over, there will still be time, at least until May 2018, until the program submission to the WHO Assembly. Please keep on advocating for this critical issue!

http://www.who.int/about/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

See also this facebook post.

Dear friends,

I wanted to bring to your attention an important and urgent issue for aging care and research.

It turns out that in the forthcoming work program of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the years 2019-2023 – the issue of aging and aging-related ill health is excluded completely! This means that, within the next 5-6 years (2018 given to the program deliberations), according to this document, the World Health Organization is not obliged to do anything to care for the health of older persons or to improve their health, not to mention conduct any research and development to create new therapies and technologies for improving the health of the aged, or any kind of longevity research. The issues of aged health are not in the WHO work program! This is the essence of ageism in health care and health research!

http://www.who.int/about/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

Currently, the WHO conducts a public consultation about the draft Work Program. Please use the link below to participate in the consultation! Please explain to the World Health Organization that the issue of Aging is important, and the care and improvement of health of the aged, also through increasing biomedical R&D of aging, are important! The consultation fields are easy to fill in, and even a couple of sentences, with your affiliation, could help break the ageist wall! The consultation takes place until November 29 (extended deadline). Please also spread the word in your circles. Thank you for your action!

http://www.who.int/about/gpw-thirteen-consultation/en/

In the words of Jane Barratt, Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) that brings this issue to the highlight of global public discussion: “We urge the WHO to rectify the glaring omission of population ageing and older people in the draft 13th General Programme of Work. It is a striking oversight that will diminish its credibility among all of us.  Make your voice heard.”

It can be added that  it will be very regretful if aging is excluded from the WHO work program. For one, it will tell the governments that aging is not an issue. And practically, many existing and future health care and health research programs on aging can be eliminated.

Please make your voice heard. We do need to increase publicity about this outrageous issue of the exclusion of aging health from the draft WHO work program. Please do respond to the WHO consultation on behalf of your organization. Please demand that WHO includes aging health, including biomedical R&D on aging, into its Work Program. Please help spread the word – share, forward, post, contact bloggers, journalists, officials. Thank you for your action.

Sincerely,

Ilia Stambler, PhD

On behalf of Vetek (Seniority) Association – the Senior Citizens Movement (Israel)

http://www.longevityisrael.org/

Longevity for All

www.longevityforall.org/

See also this facebook post.

And also see: The joint position statement, entitled “Aging health and R&D for healthy longevity must be included into the WHO Work Program” published in Aging and Disease. 9(1):1-3, 2018. Available on line:

http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2017.1120

http://www.isoad.org/Data/View/745

The signatories include leaders of the International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD), American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), International Federation on Ageing (IFA), International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics – IAGG (European Region and Asia-Oceania), International Longevity Center – Australia, The Gerontological Society of the Russian Academy of Sciences, African Society for Ageing Research and Development (ASARD), Israeli Longevity Alliance/Vetek (Seniority) Association (Israel).

You may consider some of the points raised in that position statement, and are welcome to reference this document in your advocacy efforts!