The elderly community of Liberia has deemed it expedient to do a follow-up in mass to hear from the Senate about why their bill is not proceeding but stuck in the Senate’s committee room. They noted that the House of Representatives has passed the bill to establish the National Commission for the Elderly in Liberia since three years ago.
The elderly citizens presented their petition to the Senate on Thursday at the Capitol Building in Monrovia. They lauded Representative Richard Nagbe Koon and the entire House of Representatives for voting overwhelmingly for the passage of the bill.
They underscored that as the Age with Rights Campaign is simultaneously taking place throughout the world, “We have come to call on the Senate to please pass our bill immediately,” they stated.
Meanwhile, the National Old Folks (NOFOL) of Liberia and Liberian Association of Retired Persons, in partnership with the Global Alliance for the rights of older people (GAROP), recently announced its decision to support the Age with Rights Campaign (AWRC) for a United Nations (UN) convention on the rights of older people.
The campaign has identified 15 member organizations from 15 countries, with two organizations selected from Liberia: National Old Folks of Liberia and Liberian Association of Retired Persons, to work with other local organizations to deliver targeted campaigning and advocacy activities in the framework of AWRC and its Global Rally 2023.
The Global Rally, which is expected to be held from February 27 to March 5, 2023, is intended to lead-up to the 13th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Aging (OEWG13) of the United Nations.
According to GAROP, the small grants will be up to 500 British’s pound each to mobilize the public and media at the national level to influence their government’s engagement in OEWG13 and its position on starting to draft a new UN convention on the rights of older people.
According to the Executive Director of the National Old Folks of Liberia, Momo Allison Bainda, the plight of older people in Liberia is alarming and needs national attention through legislation.
Bainda stated that aging is nothing that people can escape from; it is a matter of time. He noted that there is no legal instrument to support elderly people until God calls them home.
He emphasized that many elderly people have been abandoned by their children and relatives due to the prevailing situation confronting the nation, but the national instrument enacted will go a long way in benefiting every Liberian, now and in the future, observing that the young today will get old tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Liberian Association of Retired Persons, J. Togar Seekpee, said Liberians who have over years contributed toward the growth and development of the nation should not be neglected by the state in their old age.
Director Seekpee stated that supporting the elderly through the national budget will provide good medical and other benefits for the rest of their time on earth.
He noted that the older people should be honored with respect and dignity for their role in nation building.
During the presentation of the petition at the Capitol Building, several organizations, including the National Old Folks of Liberia (NOFOL), Liberian Association of Retired Persons (LARF), Association with the Coalition of Caregivers and Advocate for the Elderly in Liberia, Independent National Commission on Human Rights, Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL), African Platform for Human Rights and Governance (APHRG), Kimberline Youth for Jesus Christ Foundation (KYJCF), Liberian Alliance for Democratic Disability Activist (LADDA), Determined Youth Against Poverty (DYAP), Liberia United to Expose Hidden Weapons(LUEHE), Blue Zone of Liberia, Young 40 Organization of Liberia, Beersheba Ministry, Zorzor District Women Care (XODWOCA), Sustainable Agriculture Development and Youth Association (SADAYA), Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia and Senior Citizen Organization, were in attendance.