The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its supervised agency, the National Commission on Senior Citizens (NCSC), presented a proposed ASEAN framework aimed at improving the welfare of older persons while unlocking their potential contribution to regional economic growth.
During the final day of the ASEAN High-Level Forum on Unlocking the Silver Economy on Thursday, June 4, NCSC Commissioner Camilo Gudmalin presented the proposed ASEAN Framework on Unlocking the Silver Economy, which seeks to address the region’s aging challenges by shifting the view of older persons from a vulnerable group to a longevity asset.
Gudmalin said the framework aims to ensure that older persons remain active, protected, and able to contribute to socio-economic development across ASEAN.
“The ASEAN Framework on Unlocking the Silver Economy transforms ageing from a welfare problem into an economic and social opportunity. Anchored on a vision of security, dignity, and purpose, guided by principles of equity, inclusion, and innovation, it delivers through six pillars,” Gudmalin said.
The two-day forum was organized by the DSWD in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
Gudmalin said the framework is built around six pillars represented by the acronym S.I.L.V.E.R.: Social protection and income security; Integrated health and care systems; Lifelong learning and productive engagement; Value creation and silver industries; Enabling age-friendly communities; and Regional cooperation.
“By 2035, this Framework promises no older person in poverty, ageing in place with dignity, productive engagement across the lifespan, ASEAN global leadership in longevity, and intergenerational solidarity,” he said.
To support implementation across the region, Gudmalin proposed a “realistic but ambitious” three-phase approach from 2026 to 2035.
Phase 1, or Foundation Building, will run from 2026 to 2028 and will focus on assessing national aging situations, building data systems, piloting age-friendly communities, and training caregivers.
“We assess the national aging situation. We build data systems. We run pilot age-friendly communities, and we train caregivers,” Gudmalin said.
Phase 2, or System Strengthening, will run from 2028 to 2031 and will focus on scaling long-term care systems, certifying care workers, expanding health financing, and building age-friendly infrastructure.
“We scale long-term care systems. We certify care workers. We expand health financing. We build age-friendly infrastructures,” he said.
Phase 3, or Innovation and Integration, will run from 2031 to 2035 and will focus on establishing ASEAN-wide Age Tech ecosystems, enabling cross-border silver investments, and fully integrating aging into ASEAN development planning.
“We launch ASEAN-wide Age Tech ecosystems. We enable cross-border silver investments. We fully integrate ageing into ASEAN development planning. This is not a dream. This is a roadmap,” Gudmalin said.
To monitor the framework’s implementation, ASEAN is expected to develop a regional dashboard on aging, a biennial progress reporting mechanism, and a scorecard tracking pensions, care access, digital inclusion, employment, gender equity, and disability inclusion.
Once the draft framework is refined and concurrence from the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD) is secured, it will be submitted for further deliberation, refinement, and consensus-building among ASEAN Member States before full adoption.