Alison Marshall, CEO, Age International
In this episode of Causes, Alison Marshall, Chief Executive of Age International, explores the often-overlooked intersection of ageing and international development. Drawing on over 25 years of experience in the sector - from the early days of communicating via telex in Sudan to working on major campaigns like Make Poverty History - Alison discusses the urgent need to recognise the global demographic shift. With 80% of the world's older population set to live in low-to-middle-income countries by 2050, she argues that older people’s rights must be protected, and that the humanitarian sector must adapt its systems to ensure this growing demographic is no longer invisible in crisis response.
Alison provides a striking look at the specific challenges faced by older people in conflict zones, specifically highlighting Age International’s work in Ukraine. She details the physical and systemic barriers that prevent older populations from accessing basic safety, such as high steps on evacuation trains or the lack of specialised humanitarian supplies like incontinence products. Beyond immediate relief, she advocates for a fundamental shift in how we view the rights of older persons, championing Age International’s campaign for a dedicated UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons - to ensure that human rights do not have an "expiry date."
The conversation also touches on the personal drive required for long-term systemic change and the grit needed to navigate slow-moving global bureaucracy. Alison reflects on her upbringing and the "lottery of birth" that fuelled her sense of justice, emphasising that while change is often incremental, it requires a balance of short-term impatience and long-term vision.
Takeaways
The global population is ageing rapidly, yet older people remain largely "invisible" in humanitarian project descriptions and funding.
Existing human rights frameworks often fail to protect older people, necessitating a specific UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.
Older women often face a "double burden" - acting as primary caregivers for grandchildren while facing systemic ageism themselves.
Effective campaigning requires short-term impatience and long-term vision to achieve systemic reform.
Humanitarian aid must move toward localisation and solidarity rather than traditional top-down charity.
Quotes from the episode
"By 2050, one in five people in the world will be over 60... and yet it seems to be unrecognized and overlooked."
"You have to be impatient in the short term, but you also have to have that long-term view. You don’t get to the summit without climbing the mountain."
"Imagine if you're an older person trying to deal with incontinence and there's no water. How do you retain your dignity? Nobody's stocking or pre-positioning incontinence pads like they think about nappies for babies."
"Your rights do not expire as you get older. We need a specific instrument that says that."
"I think fairly early on I was struck by this thought that I could have been born anywhere... that fueled an outrage at the unfairness."
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