Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities

Slovenian Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities is included in the Global network of age-friendly cities and communities under the World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/en/) with the title "WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities " (http://www.who.int/ageing/age-friendly-world/en/).

It combines those cities, municipalities and organizations around the world which share the vision to change the communities to places where it is good to grow old. As a response to the global challenge of population aging, the network focuses on activities at the local level, to promote the inclusion of the entire population of older people in community life and promote healthy and active aging. Cities and communities are joining the network with a commitment to become more age-friendly and to share experiences, achievements and knowledge they have acquired themselves. Mere membership in the global network of age-friendly cities and communities does not obtain a certificate of an age-friendly city, since the purpose of the network is to provide a global platform for the exchange of information, mutual learning and support with active involvement of members. Membership in the network reflects the commitment of cities and communities to listen to the needs of the aging population in the future, working across sectors and in collaboration with the elderly, as well as the fact that they will evaluate and monitor the factors which determine the level of user-friendliness of their cities to older people – with this actions the service and infrastructure is activated and appropriate physical and social environments are created.

The beginnings of a global network of age-friendly cities and communities go back to the year 2005, when at the 18th World Congress of gerontology and geriatrics in Rio de Janeiro, the World Health Organization proposed the project age-friendly cities. Then, in 33 cities around the world about 1,500 elderly citizens were asked to describe the advantages and barriers they experience in different areas of city life. Based on the opinions and proposals of the World Health Organization 84 characteristics of an age-friendly city were identified, and they also prepared and published a manual for the implementation of the project (LINK: http://www.inst-antonatrstenjaka.si/tisk/kakovostna-starost/clanek.html?ID = 398) in order for every town to assess and do what it can to make progress in tidiness, friendliness and safety. In this international program the World Health Organization has identified eight areas that may affect the health and quality of life of older people: buildings and public surfaces, housing, social life, respect and social inclusion, social engagement and employment, commerce and communication, community services and health services. Cities and communities that wish to join the global network of age-friendly cities and communities will also have to commit to continuously follow the program and plan its development so that they become as close as possible to the elderly. Anton Trstenjak Institute helps the Slovenian municipalities with these activities.

The call of the World Health Organization for introducing age-friendly globaly received a good response. The global network of age-friendly cities and communities currently links 258 cities and communities in 28 countries and includes over 100 million people worldwide.

https://extranet.who.int/agefriendlyworld/who-network/

Since 2015, the network is changing its platform into more practical and useful resource for dissemination of age-friendly practices, cases, estimations of age-friendly cities, action plans, tools, guides and news relating to initiatives and events. More than focusing on the requirements for formal reports about the progress, the program focuses on the reduction of formalism and wants to increase the information shared through "Age-friendly world" website. For this purpose, the conditions for renewal of membership in the Network are being revised: they encourage the use of Age-friendly world website and they request that the cities and communities create their own profile page at the global website of age-friendly cities. With the help of profile pages WHO encourages the updating of information on the activities already carried out by cities and communities. It is estimated that the biggest potential of this approach is providing direct contact to the members with other members, searching for cities and communities within countries, searching for partners in other countries and potential contacting with the purpose of gaining information about their initiatives.