Biscay
Spain
Second international seminar on the Active Ageing Index – 27/28 september 2017
Active ageing is a multidimensional concept referring to a situation where people participate in the formal labour market, engage in unpaid productive activities (such as care provision to family members and volunteering), and live healthy, independent and secure lives as they age. Active ageing policies thus need to address a variety of dimensions: enable possibilities for longer working life, ensure social involvement, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide opportunities for independent living for both men and women. Monitoring such policies and their implementation requires a comprehensive tool that encompasses the multitude of aspects of active ageing.
The Active Ageing Index (AAI), first developed during the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations in 2012, offers a multi-faceted and flexible framework that provides evidence for informed decision-making, development, and monitoring of policies and strategies on ageing at national and subnational levels. It measures how much of older men and women’s potential to contribute to the economy and society is realized and to what extent their working and living environment enables them.
The index is constructed from 22 individual indicators that are disaggregated by sex and grouped into four domains. Detailed information on AAI can be found here. In 2015, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), and the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing ran a science-meet-policy international seminar. At the seminar, researchers from across the globe who had answered a 2014 call for papers presented and debated their work (here). Some of the best research efforts were also published in the Journal of Population Ageing, while others have been disseminated widely via other channels, including a book to be issued in 2017.1
On the basis of the 2015 successful experience, UNECE, the European Commission’s DG EMPL, the University of the Basque Country, the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, with the support of the Government of Biscay (Spain), are organising a Second International Seminar on the Active Ageing Index in Bilbao in September 2018.The seminar aims to bring together researchers, civil society representatives, policymakers and other stakeholders. It will provide a multidisciplinary forum for those interested in the use of AAI to enhance the knowledge about ageing and older people and lead to the development of better policies. The seminar will be dedicated to the studies focusing on the use of AAI to identify ways to improve active ageing outcomes through appropriate policy measures at different levels.
