ICN urges action for healthy ageing at UN General Assembly

New York, 24 September 2026 — The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has called for healthy ageing to receive greater attention in global health discussions, following a side event co-hosted with NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing during the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

More than 100 nurses joined leaders from other professions and sectors to discuss how health workforces can work in multidisciplinary ways to meet the changing needs of older people while preparing for future pandemics. 

The event brought together representatives from key ICN partner organizations including NYU, AARP International, Direct Relief, Johnson & Johnson, SONSIEL with the valuable participation and support of long-term ICN partners TruMerit,  and Becton Dickinson (BD).

Opening the event by video link, ICN President Dr José Luis Cobos Serrano drew attention to nurses as a vital part of the health workforce, discussing the crucial role of nurses in holistically supporting healthy aging as well as the urgent need to support and retain older nurses themselves through fair and inclusive working conditions and practices. He said:

“At a time of serious global nursing shortages, we must also ensure that we do not lose the invaluable knowledge, skills and experience of older nurses. They remain a vital part of our workforce, as caregivers, leaders, mentors and educators.”

The number of people aged 60 and over is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050, twice the number in 2020. By then, around two-thirds will live in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.

ICN CEO Howard Catton said nurses were on the front lines witnessing and responding to the consequences of this shift every day. However, he said, ageing was still receiving too little attention from decision-makers and insufficiently reflected in health policy and workforce planning.

He remarked: “Ageing is one of the defining global health issues of our time, but it is still not getting the attention it deserves. Nurses see the changing needs of older people every single day, and their experience and leadership must help shape how health systems respond.”

 

Speakers explored what that response would require within and beyond health services. Bethany Brown, Global Advocacy Director at AARP International, an organization focused on improving the lives of older people, highlighted the growing number of older people who remain in paid work and provide unpaid care to other generations. 

Kate Pelletier, Director of Corporate Engagement at Direct Relief, described the organisation’s work with ICN to support nurses and communities affected by conflicts and health emergencies.

Allison Squires, a nursing workforce expert at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, led a panel on the different ways health and social systems can support older people. Ernest Gonzales of the NYU Silver School of Social Work emphasised the need to connect people with community resources. Physician Jo Ivey Boufford (NYU School of Global Public Health and School of Medicine) explained how urban planning, including access to green space, can help cities support older residents and people living with multiple conditions.

The discussion returned to the workforce needed to deliver that care. Michele Morgan described why Johnson & Johnson sees nurses as central to meeting the needs of ageing populations, while Cherlie Magny-Normilus of the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing drew on nurses’ experience in pandemics to stress that resilient systems must be built before an outbreak, when older people may be especially vulnerable.

ICN’s UN Liaison lead Gill Adynski delivered concluding remarks, placing these challenges within the wider pressures facing health systems:

“Our populations are not ageing in isolation. We are facing ageing populations alongside stretched workforces and an increasingly complex world shaped by conflict, pandemics, and other crises. We need solutions that address the challenges of ageing in an integrated, cross-sectoral and interprofessional way, while also recognizing that ageing is taking place within health systems that are already under significant strain.”

ICN thanked NYU for co-hosting the event, lead sponsor Johnson & Johnson, sponsor SONSIEL, and other important ICN partners who took part in the meeting including Direct Relief, TruMerit and BD.

The discussion formed part of ICN’s strategic work throughout UN General Assembly week to ensure nursing is not only on the agenda but heard on all core health issues, including ageing, pandemic preparedness and other global health priorities. ICN will continue its advocacy throughout UNGA, bringing the voice of the world's nurses to key discussions on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, health workforce investment and the future of global health cooperation.