Tulip Foundation received a special invitation to take part in the Third World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities from 15 to 18 June in Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain. Under the heading “Transforming together! A connected, equitable and sustainable age friendly world for all generations” the event brought together participants from some 65 countries from around the globe. Over the congress days we followed five plenary sessions with speakers from the United Nations, Spain, Norway, Germany, Brazil, United States of America, Singapore, the United Kingdom, India, Costa Rica, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Norway, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Peru, Indonesia, Japan, China, Sweden, Uganda, Croatia, Columbia, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Mongolia, Brunei, Estonia, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Albania, Serbia, Thailand, Malaysia, Kenia, Cameroon and others, covering topics like Global Reflections - Ambassadors and Newcomers; Celebrating Legacy & Lessons Learned; Strengthening Peer Support and Collaboration; Commitments and Breakthroughs.
In more than 30 parallel breakout sessions few hundreds of participants discussed various examples and research presentations with a balance between urban rural perspectives. The topics included all areas of life - social participation; civic participation and employment; outdoor spaces and buildings; community support and health services; respect and social inclusion; transport; communication and information. Recent emerging issues were also on the agenda in view of connecting generations, technologies and care. The themes covered Social Connection; Ageing Communities; Equitable Communities: Ensuring that No One Is Left Behind; Ageism; Technology and Age-friendly Development; Intergenerational Connections/Solidarity; UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons; Building More Sustainable Age Friendly Communities; Climate Change and Resilience; Sustainability of Age-Friendly Initiatives etc. Number of workshops allowed participants from different continents to discuss Ageism; International Cooperation; Madrid International Plan on Ageing; Local Care Ecosystems.
During the four days various supporting activities were planned on the terrace; in front of the congress hall and the main streets of San Sebastian. An event modelled on a television programme encouraged physical, cognitive and emotional activity among older people; Urban Forest Bathing, organised by the Basotik Foundation of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa helped people to experience the benefits of contact with nature for the health and well-being of older people. Recording of podcast with speakers from the congress was based on questions from local citizens. The Urban Ritual Body and Movement is a performance featuring older people and residents from different neighbourhoods across the city, highlights the body, movement and artistic practices as tools for fostering connections, care and community. The event raises the profile of local initiatives that position older people as active participants in urban life and the pursuit of the common good. Auzo Orri on the main street was an initiative launched in the Gros neighbourhood – the city’s oldest neighbourhood – by various public and private community stakeholders from sectors such as health, sport, culture, youth, social action and local commerce, which, through stories about everyday life in the neighbourhood, fosters spaces for meeting, conversation and collective creation from an intergenerational perspective.
The summaries from eight parallel Conversations about The Future of Age Friendly Cities and Communities were followed by a closing ceremony. The culmination of the evening was On Do Ko: a community performance created collectively with older people from Donostia / San Sebastian.
After the congress study visits to municipalities in the Basque Country Network of Friendly Cities and Communities gave opportunity to many participants to learn about local age-friendly initiatives on the spot in Amurrio; Azkoitia; Barakaldo; Bilbao; Donostia-San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz. Learning about municipal initiatives within the Euskadi Lagunkoia Network through on-site visits, enabled participants to explore municipalities in both rural and urban settings, exchange knowledge, share best practices and promote innovative approaches based on citizen leadership, intergenerational collaboration, new housing models, health research and the fight against ageism in different local contexts across the Basque Country.
