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Mid-Year Reflections and Looking Ahead | |
The first half of the year has been one of momentum for the International Federation on Ageing. Together with our members and partners, we have launched a new strategic direction, strengthened our global membership community, contributed to key international policy discussions, and continued bringing diverse voices together to advance longevity-readiness.
As we reach the midpoint of the year, many of us are taking the opportunity to reflect, reconnect and prepare for the months ahead. While the pace of work may shift across different parts of the world, the demographic realities shaping our societies continue to evolve, and so too does the need for collaboration across sectors, disciplines and regions.
At the heart of this work is our global community. The expertise, experience and perspectives of our members help shape the conversations we convene and the collective voice we bring to international policy and practice. Whether you have been part of the IFA community for many years or are considering becoming involved for the first time, we invite you to stay connected, participate in the discussions ahead, and help us build longevity-ready societies where everyone can age with choice, connection and dignity.
Whether the coming weeks bring a change of season, a well-earned break, or simply a moment to pause, we wish you a rewarding mid-year period!
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With appreciation,
The IFA Team
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| Connect with a Global Community Driving Change | | | | As we move into the second half of the year, now is an ideal time to reconnect, exchange ideas and build new partnerships around the opportunities and challenges of longer lives. The IFA global network brings together organisations and individuals from across sectors and regions who are committed to advancing healthy ageing and longevity through collaboration, knowledge sharing and collective action. | | Whether you are a long-time supporter or new to the IFA community, we invite you to be part of the conversations, connections and initiatives helping to shape longevity-ready societies around the world. | | Connecting Governments toward Longevity-Readiness | | | | As governments continue to navigate the realities of demographic change, opportunities for learning, collaboration and policy exchange have never been more important. IFA is strengthening its connections with government stakeholders around the world to support policy dialogue, peer learning, knowledge exchange and collaboration on healthy ageing and longevity. | | If you work within a ministry, department, agency, municipality, public institution or permanent mission, we invite you to stay connected, share your priorities and receive relevant invitations to future discussions, briefings, and collaboration opportunities. | | Building Longevity-Ready Societies: Insights from Older Persons and Stakeholders Across Sectors | | | | |
What does it take to build longevity-ready societies?
At the midpoint of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) convened diverse voices from across sectors to explore this important question. Drawing on findings from a global survey of older persons and stakeholders across the ageing sector, as well as insights from a multisectoral town hall, the dialogue identified several priorities for advancing healthy ageing worldwide.
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Key areas for action include:
- Reframing ageing and tackling ageism by ensuring the voices of older persons are central to decision-making.
- Strengthening integration and cross-sector collaboration to better connect policy with local realities.
- Making the economic case for investing in healthy ageing, care systems, and innovation.
- Advancing rights-based approaches that promote accountability, equity, and inclusion.
- Investing in community and intergenerational initiatives that foster resilience, social connection, and independence.
Together, these insights highlight shared opportunities to build age-ready societies where everyone can age with health, choice, dignity, and purpose.
Explore IFA's latest infographic to learn more about these findings and join us in advancing action toward longevity-ready societies!
| | From Congress to Action: IFA Attends the 3rd World Congress on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities and Invites You to Join the AFE ECHO Programme | | | | |
The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) was proud to participate in the 3rd World Congress on Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain.
The four-day Congress provided an important opportunity to reconnect with longstanding partners and engage with new colleagues from around the world. Across plenary sessions, workshops, and discussions, several priorities emerged consistently: there is need to address
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ageism, strengthen climate resilience, advance social inclusion, and better aligning age-friendly initiatives with broader urban and community development efforts.
Participants also emphasised that the continued growth and impact of the age-friendly movement will depend on stronger evidence, sustainable funding, deeper cross-sector partnerships, and a renewed commitment to inclusion at every level.
Looking ahead, IFA remains committed to elevating promising practices and creating additional opportunities for peer learning, knowledge exchange, and capacity building among age-friendly leaders worldwide.
Join us starting in September for the WHO–IFA Age-Friendly Environments (AFE) ECHO Programme! A collaborative mentorship course bringing together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, community leaders, and advocates from around the world to share knowledge, experiences, and promising practices in creating age-friendly environments.
| | Pan-Africa Dialogue Series on Ageing and Development: Reframing Healthy Ageing and Long-Term Care Systems in Africa | | | | As part of the Pan-Africa Dialogue Series on Ageing and Development, and led by the International Federation on Ageing in collaboration with the Dave Omokaro Foundation, this session aims to advance a shared, action-oriented understanding of integrated long-term care systems as both a social protection priority and a care-economy strategy in African contexts. Bringing together international perspectives and African case studies, the dialogue will explore workforce development, job creation, gender equity, and innovative approaches to strengthening informal, home-based, and community care. | | Join policymakers, experts, practitioners, and advocates on July 16, 2026, from 4:00–5:30 PM CEST / 10:00–11:30 AM EDT to discuss practical solutions and policy pathways that can help build sustainable long-term care systems and support healthy ageing across Africa. | | Pain, Function, and Longevity: Advancing a New Conversation | | | | |
Pain is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing - but it shouldn't be. Affecting mobility, independence, and quality of life, pain remains one of the most common yet overlooked challenges facing older adults worldwide.
Recognizing the need for greater attention and action, IFA convened a multidisciplinary expert meeting in Brussels, Belgium, bringing together leaders from health, care, policy, academia,
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and civil society to explore how societies can better respond to pain in ageing populations, with five key priorities emerging from the discussions:
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Fragmentation – The need for more integrated, person-centred approaches to pain management across the ageing and care continuum.
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Workforce capacity – The importance of education, training, and awareness on pain and ageing across health, care, and community-based professions.
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Access - Creating opportunities for pain to be recognized, assessed, and addressed across policy and practice.
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Equity & data – The need for better inclusion of older adults in research, evidence generation, and age-disaggregated data.
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Prevention – Prioritizing prevention and life-course approaches to pain management that support mobility, function, and healthy ageing.
Ultimately, the meeting highlighted that pain cannot be addressed in isolation. As one participant noted, “Even if pain is addressed, it’s addressed in a very siloed way” - a reminder that improving pain management requires coordinated action across health, care, research, and policy to support healthy ageing.
| | IFA Survey Seeks to Improve Care for People Living with Wet AMD – Help us Spread the Word! | | | | |
The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) is inviting people living with neovascular, or wet, age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) to participate in a global survey exploring their experiences and treatment preferences.
As part of IFA's commitment to advancing eye health as a pillar of healthy ageing, continued participation and quality of life, this survey aims to better understand the preferences, needs, and experiences of people living with wet AMD. Topics include access to care and support, treatment experiences, knowledge of disease progression, and confidence in self-monitoring.
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The findings will help inform practical health interventions, policy recommendations, and advocacy efforts that improve care for AMD and other age-related eye conditions.
If you or your organization works with people living with AMD, older persons, vision health professionals, or patient communities, we encourage you to share this survey through your networks. Your support will help ensure person-centred care delivery.
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| Every Age Counts: Life-Course Immunisation for NCD Management, Healthy Ageing and Resilient Societies | | | | |
As populations age and the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continues to grow, immunisation must be viewed as a critical component of healthy ageing, prevention, and health system resilience.
At the 79th World Health Assembly last month, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA), the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), and the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP) co-hosted a side event on immunization's role in healthy ageing, non-communicable diseases (NCD) management, and health system resilience.
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Discussions pointed to a clear reality: as populations age and NCDs become more prevalent, immunization can no longer function as a standalone programme. To support longer, healthier lives, vaccination must be integrated across the life course and embedded within prevention, primary care, healthy ageing, and chronic disease strategies.
"Every life, at every age, deserves to be counted," said Gregor Sneddon, IFA Secretary General "When we set a ceiling on whose deaths count as preventable, we set a ceiling on whose health we are willing to invest in."
The event called for a life-course approach to immunisation that protects health, preserves function, and supports quality of life at every age, while helping societies prepare for the realities of demographic change and longer lives.
| | IFA Global Café - See you in September! | | |
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