The International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA), now the Global Ageing Network, officially came into being 30 years ago. Over the past three decades, the Global Ageing Network has grown into a dynamic, multifaceted community representing provider associations in nearly 60 countries. From education and research to advocacy and on-the-ground connections, the Global Ageing Network serves as a bridge between aging services professionals across borders.

Robyn Stone, LeadingAge senior vice president, research and co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, has long been engaged with Global Ageing Network, working with association and individual provider members worldwide. “I think we should not underestimate the value of the network itself,” says Stone. “I’ve always thought that the unique aspect of IAHSA and Global Ageing Network is that it is an association of international providers; it’s not a policy group. You get to know the personalities, you get to know more about their countries, their systems, and things that they’re able to do a lot of times that we’re not able to do, or vice versa.

More Than an Association—A Global Movement

The Global Ageing Network’s evolution reflects its mission: to connect, inform, and empower aging services providers. Its work spans continents and combines learning, leadership, and advocacy:

• Biennial Global Ageing Conferences unite professionals, often providing scholarships and mentorship to participants from developing countries.

• Roundtables, webinars, and leadership retreats build capacity, forge partnerships, and facilitate knowledge exchange.

• Reports on aged care services and study tours bring innovation and best practices to a wider audience.

• Grassroots initiatives, like the annual International Day of Care and Support for Older People (Sept. 7), a 2023 Call to Governments to reform long-term care, and most significantly, fulfilling its role as a NGO (nongovernmental organization) with Special Consultative Status with the United Nations foster global recognition for caregivers and aging communities.

Major Milestones

Looking back on the history of the organization, Global Ageing Network Executive Director Katie Smith Sloan says achieving the Special Consultative Status with the UN in 2011 was “a watershed moment” for the organization.

“It not only established us as part of the global NGO community, it reinforced our role as an advocate for older adults in the global community,” Sloan says. Before then, she says, the organization was a provider group that learned from each other, “and this said we’re going to continue to do that, but we also have a bigger responsibility.”

The Special Consultative Status allows Global Ageing Network to have a seat at the UN table, attend meetings, and participate in deliberative conversations. A focal point of Global Ageing Network’s work in that capacity has been participating with the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) to establish a UN Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons.

On April 3, 2025, after 15 years of sustained advocacy, the Global Ageing Network (Global Ageing Network) celebrated a defining moment: the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to establish an intergovernmental working group to draft a legally binding UN Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons.
Sloan says another major turning point was the 2017 name change from IAHSA to the Global Ageing Network. “It may sound like just words,” she says, “but it signaled that all are welcome. We’re really about the gathering of people and the exchange of information and ideas.”

United in Crisis, Stronger Together

The COVID-19 pandemic showed the Global Ageing Network at its most connected. In Sloan’s words, “The pandemic brought together the global aged care community like never before. We leaned on each other, learned from each other, and found comfort in knowing we are not alone.”
The Global Ageing Network led tributes to elders lost to the virus, launched virtual study tours with Dialog Health, and partnered with organizations like the European Ageing Network and the Heritage Foundation to document lessons learned and support caregivers through webinars and shared resources.

Powered by People, Fueled by Purpose

The Global Ageing Network remains a grassroots, member-driven organization—operating with modest resources but with an extraordinary global reach. “This is all done by folks coming together,” says Stone. “There aren’t tons of money underneath this organization—it’s about relationships.”

As the Global Ageing Network celebrates 30 years, it continues to grow its leadership initiatives, educational offerings, and advocacy efforts. In 2025, Global Ageing Network launched the second cohort of its Global Ageing Network Leadership Program—supporting the next generation of global leaders in aged care. It will host the Global Ageing Network Summit in Boston in November, in partnership with the LeadingAge Annual Meeting, which will convene over 7,000 aged care professionals from across the globe.

Want to learn more about Global Ageing Network’s journey?
Learn more about the Global Ageing Network here.