ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI)

 BACKGROUND

The population in WHO Southeast Asia is aging rapidly. Although the proportion of the population aged 60 years and over was 9.8% in 2017, it will increase to 13.7% in 2030 and 20.3% in 2050 (WHO, 2017). In line with regional conditions, the proportion of older adults in Indonesia is 11.75% (Statistic Indonesia, 2023), and this number is predicted to continue to increase and reach almost 20% of the total population in 2045.

Naturally, growing old causes older people to experience physical and mental decline. Health is an essential aspect that needs to be paid attention to in the lives of older people, so comprehensive efforts are required to improve the health of the community, especially the pre-elderly and elderly groups, as well as continuous coaching and service efforts.

To support this, ACAI (ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation) has been developed to implement the ASEAN Post 2015 Health Development Agenda (APHDA). ACAI aims to improve the quality of life of older people and prepare ASEAN countries to face the "aging society" in the future. ACAI's mission is as a knowledge center, supporting policies, strategies, and guidelines based on evidence on active aging, implementing capacity development programs, conducting research and development, and innovation on active aging in ASEAN. ACAI also aims to facilitate and improve the quality of life for older adults in ASEAN to make it better and more productive. 

The expert group meeting is one of ACAI's agenda for 2024 to implement the ACAI’s Institutional Capacities Enhancement in 2022-2024. The theme raised in this meeting is the Strategic mapping of global and regional aging policies and plans. The thematic for the main event based on the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030. As a follow-up to the 9th ACAI Governing Board meeting in Thailand, Indonesia is committed to holding an expert group meeting on strategic mapping of global and regional aging policies and plans, which will be held in Yogyakarta on 7-8 October 2024 to contributes the goals of APHDA by promoting healthy ageing, enhancing healthcare systems, and addressing the specific health needs of ageing populations in our region. 

OBJECTIVES

We are carrying out aging expert meetings at the ASEAN level and mapping out global and regional policies and action plans in dealing with an aging population.

EXPECTED OUTPUT

1. Organizing advocacy, coordination, and socialization of aging policies at the ASEAN level.

2. Information updates and sharing sessions on the latest research/studies related to aging

3. Recommendations and Priorities for joint research in the field of Aging in ASEAN

PARTICIPANTS

Following are the participants and stakeholders to be invited to the meeting:

1. ACAI Expert Group

2. Contact Point of Health Priority 6: Promotion of Healthy Active Ageing

3. ASEAN Secretariat

4. WHO and UNDP

5. JAIF

6. Academics

7. Professional associations

8. Relevant sectors in Indonesia