Fiji's interim government says it's planning an e-group to share information on ageing with other Pacific Island countries in response to predictions of old people outnumbering children within 20 years.
The Permanent Secretary for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, Govind Sami, says this is a recommendation made at last month's HelpAge Network Asia/Pacific Regional Conference in Myanmar.
He says Fiji is the only country in the Pacific Region to have an Ageing Policy which has a clear objective of cultivating an inclusive and supportive environment for the elderly.
He says the e-group will help countries share and strengthen their strategies to address the ageing trend and will place ageing as an important agenda item for the Pacific Island Forum.
"We have decided that we will link up with the Pacific Island countries to help each other in developing and evolving a network to assist the Pacific Island countries in developing and sharing common good practices to develop policies on the elderly."
Govind Sami says some of the other emerging issues discussed at the Myanmar conference included the need for social protection for elderly, health care plans and predictions the elderly will dominate the labour market.
He says the conference heard that by 2030, there will be more older people than children in the world and governments must ensure the needs of the elderly are captured in social and economic plans.
