Under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, the first Council on Ageing was held on 20-22 February 2019 in Ankara. The main themes of the 1 Council on Ageing, as announced by the President of the Turkish Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his speech at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on 25 September 2018, was “supporting active ageing” and “strengthening the rights of the elderly”.
The inauguration of the 1 Council on Ageing was commenced with an opening ceremony on 20 February at the Convention and Culture Centre of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the programme continued in Ankara Green Park Hotel on 21-22 February.
The commissions within the scope of the Council continued their studies under six topics including “Active Ageing”, “Care Economy”, “Elderly Care Services and Quality of Life”, “Age-Friendly Cities and Local Governments”, “The Rights of Older Persons” and “Economics of Ageing”.
Two parallel activities were held, one being a photography contest with the theme “Bridge: Intergenerational Solidarity”, organised by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Service. The aim was to strengthen family bonds, communication and solidarity between generations and to create a sustainable identity for studies raising social awareness and transferring cultural values between generations. The second activity was named “Centennial Sycamores”, which had been planned to celebrate Turkey’s centenarians (people who are 100+ years old) living in 7 different regions of the country. The Council was closed on 22 February, following the declaration of Council recommendations.