German National Association of Senior Citizens' Organizations

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The German National Association of Senior Citizens' Organizations (German: Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen or BAGSO) is an umbrella organization of about 120 civil society organizations, which together represent several million older people. It calls on politicians, society, and businesses to offer conditions that allow for a good and dignified life in older age.[1] BAGSO is based in Bonn and Franz Müntefering, a former Federal minister, has been its chairman since 2015.

Objectives and work[]

According to its own presentation, BAGSO stands up for active, healthy, and self-determined ageing in social security. The wide range of member organizations is regularly consulted on various issues of ageing policy. In particular, representatives from BAGSO's member associations work together in four expert commissions. They elaborate joint positions and formulate policy recommendations.[2] In statements and position papers, BAGSO identifies requirements for good quality of life in older age and provides recommendations for policymaking at federal, state, and municipal level.

BAGSO implements projects on, among other things, the promotion of healthy ageing, digitalisation and education in older age and the care and participation of people with dementia. Since the 1990s, BAGSO has organized the German Senior Citizens' Day, which is a nationwide platform for exchange, information, and networking on all topics related to ageing, taking place every three years in a different federal state.

History[]

BAGSO was founded in 1989 as an informal association. The aim of this association was to bring senior citizens' organizations together, create a forum for all issues relating to older people, and to form a joint position. From the very beginning, the central concerns were the promotion of a more differentiated image of old age and the improvement of the conditions for active ageing and engagement. The foundation of BAGSO was closely linked to the first two German Senior Citizens' Days, which were organized in 1987 and 1988 under the auspices of the Deutscher Seniorenring, an association that fosters active ageing. Since 1996, BAGSO has been registered as a Nonprofit organization.

Structure[]

BAGSO is an umbrella organization of independently acting civil society organizations that are run by older people or are committed to the interests of older generations. Its member organizations include social associations, associations of persons with disabilities and patient organizations, church organizations, senior citizens' organizations of political parties and trade unions, support groups, sports organizations and associations for engagement, culture, and education in old age, all of which act at the federal level. BAGSO has 123 member organizations (as of March 2021).[3]

Chairpersons[]

International Commitment[]

On an international level, BAGSO is committed to strengthening the rights of older people worldwide, advocating for a UN convention on the rights of older people. To this end, BAGSO participates in the debate on how to better protect the rights of older people worldwide, in particular in the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing of the United Nations.[6][7] BAGSO has consultative status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is one of the civil society organizations that has been involved in the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) since it was adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002 in Madrid. BAGSO regularly participates in the review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, in particular through its role in the Standing Working Group on Ageing of the UNECE.

At the European level, BAGSO is part of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and is a member of AGE Platform Europe, the umbrella association of older people's organizations in Europe.[8]

The Secretariat of International Policy on Ageing, funded by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, informs about developments in policy and practice on ageing around the globe, promotes cross-cultural exchange and represents the interests of older people in international policy debates. BAGSO also participates in various European projects, most of them funded by the European Union.

References[]

  1. ^ "Leitsätze der BAGSO". BAGSO.de. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  2. ^ "Fachkommissionen der BASGO". BAGSO.de. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  3. ^ "Mitglieder der BAGSO". BAGSO.de. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  4. ^ "BAGSO-Nachrichten". BASGO-Nachrichten 04/2011, S. 5. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  5. ^ "Mitglieder des geschäftsführenden BAGSO-Vorstands". BAGSO.de. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  6. ^ "Nationaler Bericht zum Weltaltenplan" (PDF). bmfsfj.de. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  7. ^ "Mitglieder der offenen Arbeitsgruppe zu Fragen des Alterns der UN". social.un.org. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  8. ^ "Mitglieder AGE Platform Europe". age-platform.eu. Retrieved 2021-03-17.

External links[]

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