The Asia-Pacific region has the largest and fastest aging population in the world. This demographic phenomenon brings both opportunities and challenges. The formation and promotion of Older People Associations (OPA) has been one of the main strategies for countries in the Asia and Pacific region to enhance the wellbeing of older people with the resources that they have. OPA development is also one of the key recommendations in the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging (MIPAA) for countries to respond to rapid aging. The results so far relating to OPA development in Asia Pacific have been remarkable:

• The vast majority of the countries in the region have OPAs
• There are close to 1 million OPAs with more than 100 million members in the region
• 10 countries in the region have nationwide OPA networks

This event supported the Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on the Fourth Review and Appraisal of MIPAA by providing good practices and lessons learned which can contribute to the ongoing development of OPAs in the region and beyond. It was organized by HelpAge International, Vietnam with the assistance of AHWIN’s nonprofit partner organization, the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE). You can view a recording of the event below: