Asoka Perera reaches 80, yet not out







                                                                  Asoka Perera
                                                                    a  tribute

Asoka Perera the president of the B O C pensioners association and
 a pioneer of the B O C old cronies recently celebrated his 80th birthday
at a function held at the G O H hotel Colombo. There were many senior bankers
 including one time general managers,deputy general managers,assistant general managers
 and a number of contemporaries of Asoka. There were many speeches in appreciating the services rendered to the pensioners by Asoka, through peaceful negotiations.
He relinquished his duties as the president of the B O C pensioners' association
 to devote more time to his family.
The Compiler of this blog spot take this opportunity
 to wish Asoka good health and happiness.



 The B O C pensioners' association Colombo District branch
 held a special felicitation party to honour Asoka Perera the
out going president of the Pensioners association on 15/11/2013
 at Golden Rose Hotel Colombo.
Asoka and wife arriving at the venue for the party


Asoka lighting the traditional oil lamp at this special function

















International Day of Older Persons 
1 October
"Longevity is a public health achievement, not a social or economic liability. On this International Day of Older Persons, let us pledge to ensure the well-being of older persons and to enlist their meaningful participation in society so we can all benefit from their knowledge and ability."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Theme for 2013:
The future we want: what older persons are saying
On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly (by resolution 45/106) designated 1 October the International Day of Older Persons.
This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing - which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing - and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly.
In 1991, the General Assembly (by resolution 46/91) adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons.
In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages.
The theme of the 2013 commemoration, “The future we want: what older persons are saying” has been chosen to draw attention to the efforts of older persons, civil society organizations, United Nations organizations and Member States to place the issue of ageing on the international development agenda.

 


1 October: International Day of Older Persons
Older people – a new power for development
Why a "new power"?

A demographic revolution is underway throughout the world. Today, world-wide, there are around 600 million persons aged 60 years and over; this total will double by 2025 and will reach virtually two billion by 2050 - the vast majority of them in the developing world.

In our fast ageing world, older people will increasingly play a critical role - through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force.
Already now, older persons make major contributions to society. For instance, throughout Africa –and elsewhere - millions of adult AIDS patients are cared for at home by their parents. On their death, orphaned children left behind (currently, 14 million under the age of 15 in African countries alone) are mainly looked after by their grandparents.
It is not only in developing countries that older persons' role in development is critical. In Spain for example, caring for dependent and sick individuals (of all ages) is mostly done by older people (particularly older women); the average number of minutes per day spent in providing such care increases exponentially with the carers' age: 201 minutes if the carer is in the age group 65-74 and 318 minutes if aged 75-84 - compared to only 50 minutes if the carer is in the age group 30-49 
Such contributions to development can only be ensured if older persons enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place. In line with the Madrid International Plan of Action, the World Health Organization launched in 2002 a document "Active Ageing - A Policy Framework", outlining its approaches and perspectives for healthy ageing throughout the life course.