Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic opened 10th jubilee International Gerontology Congress that gathered more than 200 eminent experts from Serbia, South Eastern European Countries, EU and USA, as well as ombudsmen and high officials from the equality institutions form South Eastern Europe.
Commissioner Jankovic stressed that attitude towards older persons and creation of appropriate policies for the achievement of their rights enables not only the achievement of equality of older persons, but of all generations. “Although discrimination on grounds of age is present in all areas of social life and stands as one of the reasons for social exclusion, a battle with stereotypes and prejudices, battle against birth date evaluation, should be led by all, from individuals to the authorities and institutions, because we all have the responsibility to work on the creation of all life stages society”, stressed Commissioner.
At the beginning of the Congress, Brankica Jankovic was handled the annual award “Petar Manojlovic” for her contribution to the improvement of older persons position in the society in Serbia. The jury explanation stated that „a better quality of life of older persons has been of the outmost importance for Brankica Jankovic through the years, in order to create community of welfare and prosperity for all citizens, and she was spreading the activist spirit not only in her nearby surrounding, but to all older persons throughout Serbia, wishing them to stay active and consider years to be not more than a number“.
In ceremonial part of the Congress speakers were also president of Board for Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality Meho Omerovic, president of Gerontology Society of Serbia Dragana Dinic, representative of UN Population Fund in Serbia Marija Rakovic and president of International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse Susan Somers. In a plenary part of the Congress, special panel was dedicated to the role of independent institutions in the protection of older persons in which, beside Commissioner Jankovic, are also taking part: Ombudswoman of Croatia Lora Vidovic, Human Rights and Freedoms Ombudsman of Montenegro Sucko Bakovic, Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ljubinko Mitrovic and Gender Equality Ombudsman of Croatia Visnja Lubicic.
