The World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health. This is a significant step forward in establishing a framework for Member States, the WHO Secretariat and partners to contribute to achieving the vision that all people can live long and healthy lives.

The Strategy (2016 – 2020) has two goals:

• five years of evidence-based action to maximize functional ability that reaches every person; and
• by 2020, establish evidence and partnerships necessary to support a Decade of Healthy Ageing from 2020 to 2030.

Specifically the Strategy focuses on five strategic objectives:

• commitment to action on Healthy Ageing in every country;
• developing age-friendly environments;
• aligning health systems to the needs of older populations;
• developing sustainable and equitable systems for providing long-term care (home, communities, institutions); and
• improving measurement, monitoring and research on Healthy Ageing.

Healthy ageing” is defined by theWorld report on ageing and health as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.