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Special Initiatives

Research Agenda on Aging
The identification of knowledge gaps and research needed in order to elaborate sound public policy on aging has been a major activity for the IAG. Undertaken to assist the UN Programme on Ageing with the development of a Research Agenda on Ageing for the 21st Century, the IAG convened a series of expert consultations, which brought together a distinguished group of scholars from around the world. During the meetings of this multidisciplinary group, a number of recurring themes emerged which resulted in the identification of the following six priority areas for research: 

  1. Relationships between population aging and socio-economic development
  2. Current practices and options for maintaining material security into old age
  3. Changing family structures, intergenerational transfer systems and emergent patterns of family and institutional dynamics
  4. Determinants of healthy ageing
  5. Basic biological mechanisms and age associated disease
  6. Quality of life and aging in diverse cultural, socio-economic and environmental situations

The theoretical and practical underpinnings and the details of the Research Agenda were further elaborated in the Valencia Forum, an event auspiced by IAG with the objective of formulating research, educational and provider input into the 2nd UN World Assembly on Ageing. A copy is available here.