On April 26, in New York High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova met with Chairman of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing Martin Garcia Moritan.

During the meeting, Tatiana Moskalkova noted that the number of older people in Russia has reached 35,986,000 people in 2018.

"That is 24.6% of the total population of the country. In this regard, protection of the rights of such a large group of people is becoming the focus of the state social policy," the High Commissioner stressed.

Tatiana Moskalkova proposed Martin Garcia Moritan to create the information portal on protection of older persons’ rights.

"At the previous session, you as Chairman have suggested the members of the working group that each session should sum up in the publication of the agreed conclusions or

Tatiana Moskalkova also shared the Russian ombudswoman’s experience on the protection of older persons’ rights.

"In 2018, I received 2614 appeals submitted by pensioners. The majority of the complaints were related to the issues of pensions (1430), housing rights (576), social protection (193), and medical care (151)," the High Commissioner noted.

In addition, the Russian ombudswoman noted that the year 2018 was marked by heated discussions about pension reform, which most citizens perceived critically.

"Steps were taken to amend the bill which reflected my proposals on reducing the retirement age for women, maintaining pension preferences for doctors and teachers, and implementing pension changes in phases," Tatiana Moskalkova noted.