The Full Council Meeting adhered to the unitary manifesto “For a society free of ageism”, for the International Day of Older Persons, to be read out in Pl. Sant Jaume on 1 October. The occasion has been celebrated since 1990, when the UN established the date to ensure the well-being of elderly people and promote their participation in society.

In an institutional declaration the city has agreed to ratify its commitment as an age-friendly city with respect to the elderly and their rights:

Barcelona City Council declares:

Firstly. To ratify its commitment as an age–friendly towards elderly people and their rights.

Secondly. To give support to and declare its adhesion to this unitary manifesto, which states:

Elderly people speak out today to call for a society that respects us, values us and includes us without our age becoming a reason for discrimination or exclusion. We have experience, knowledge and memory, yet despite this we are often made invisible, belittled or reduced to unfair stereotypes that do not reflect our reality. We must denounce and combat ageism, a silent form of discrimination, yet deeply rooted and nourished by prejudice and simplification. These stereotypes ignore the diversity of experiences and ways of ageing and impose a single exclusionary criterion. Elderly women are affected the most as they suffer double discrimination: age and gender, making social exclusion worse. Ageism appears in all spheres and in many ways; when we are excluded from the world of work, when we are denied the ability to decide, when the media depict us as weak or dependent, or when we are treated condescendingly and when we are used as an argument for developing  discriminatory policies and practices without taking our opinion into account. These attitudes not only affect us personally, but make society poorer, without reflecting the richness of generational diversity. Ageism needs to be eradicated to promote equality and justice in all stages of life. Polices and laws also need to be promoted that protect us against age-based discrimination, and which foster inclusion and mutual respect between different generations. We reject any attempt to generate confrontation between young and old. The future is built through dialogue, mutual respect and collaboration between all generations.

Conflict between age groups is a fallacy that divides, while coexistence and intergenerational solidarity strengthen the social and democratic fabric. That’s why we urge the whole of society —institutions, organisations, companies, media and citizens— to:

– Recognise dignity in all age groups. Value the contribution of elderly people for what they have done and what they can still offer.

– Implement public policies that ensure equality and participation, that guarantee rights and opportunities in all walks of life and that foster active ageing and combat ageism.

– Transform social narrative. Break with stereotypes in the media, which play an important part in the social construction, and offer fair and diverse images of old age.

– Promote inclusive education. Incorporate content in education that helps to identify and eliminate ageism, promoting respect and coexistence from an early age.

– Drive intergenerational dialogue. Create spaces for meeting and exchange to share knowledge, values and experiences, and to break down prejudices and build bridges.

– Foster the culture of peace. In a world shaped by armed conflict and humanitarian crises, where elderly people are often the most vulnerable and forgotten, we need to promote a society based on respect, empathy, dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

– Embrace democratic values. Strengthen democracy through active commitment and the inclusion of all age groups to achieve a fairer society that does not curb rights or social expenditure. We want to age with dignity, not in fear. We are an active part of society, we shape our own lives and are a social group with identity and shared rights. Because a person’s worth does not diminish with age, and because a fair and mature society is one which leaves nobody behind. Our society will only really be fair when it is inclusive for everybody and free of age discrimination.