Article 3 of Law No. 19 of 2024, promulgating the Law on the Care of the Rights of the Elderly, provides that all units of the State’s administrative apparatus, including ministries, departments, agencies, public authorities, and other public and private legal persons affiliated therewith, shall, each within the scope of its competence, protect the rights of elderly persons as stipulated in this Law or in any other laws, as well as those set out in the international agreements and conventions ratified by the Arab Republic of Egypt. Such entities shall also take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of these rights and remove all obstacles and impediments that may prevent elderly persons from fully enjoying them, particularly the following:
1- Respecting the elderly person’s freedom to make personal choices independently and of their own free will.
2- Ensuring non-discrimination on the grounds of age or religion, and guaranteeing genuine equality in the enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms across all fields.
3- Providing a safe environment for elderly persons and creating suitable conditions that ensure a dignified standard of living in all aspects.
4- Ensuring the elderly person’s freedom to express their opinions, giving due attention to those views, and taking them into consideration when making decisions on matters that affect them, in a manner that guarantees their full and effective participation in society.
5- Ensuring equal opportunities among elderly persons.
6- Building and developing the capabilities of those who work with elderly persons in governmental and non-governmental entities, so that they are properly qualified and able to deal with them effectively across all fields.
6- Building and developing the capabilities of those who work with elderly persons in governmental and non-governmental entities, so that they are properly qualified and able to deal with them effectively across all fields.
8- Taking the necessary measures to ensure that elderly persons can access and use the surrounding physical environment, transportation, information, communications, and technology, in a manner that enhances their abilities and skills.
9- Enabling elderly persons to participate in the conduct of public affairs on an equal basis with others, and encouraging their participation in the formulation of policies and programs, particularly those concerning their own affairs, either directly or through the national institutions that represent them.
10- Providing the necessary security and protection appropriate to the elderly person’s capabilities, and establishing measures to safeguard and protect them from risks they may face under all circumstances, including epidemics, disasters, other emergencies, and high-risk situations.
11- Providing the necessary rehabilitation, training, awareness, guidance, and support to the person responsible for caring for the elderly person and to their family, recognizing the family as the natural environment in which the elderly person should live. This includes creating suitable conditions for providing care within the family and ensuring that all State policies and programs include measures that protect and promote the rights of elderly persons.
12- Facilitating the completion of elderly persons’ transactions with governmental and non-governmental entities, including judicial bodies and authorities, and providing a dedicated service window through which they can access government services without having to compete or queue with others.
13- Facilitating the mobility and transportation of elderly persons in a manner that ensures their safe movement and protects them from road hazards and accidents.
14- Incorporating the rights and needs of elderly persons into poverty-combating and poverty-reduction programs and policies, as well as into sustainable development programs, and implementing such programs and policies without discrimination on any grounds and on an equal basis with others.
15- Providing elderly persons with the highest possible level of protection during crises and disasters, including safe shelters equipped with all essential needs, compensation for any injuries they may sustain, and raising their awareness of protection measures during emergencies and disasters through written materials, public awareness campaigns, and media outreach.
16- Facilitating the establishment of social care institutions for elderly persons at different economic levels, whether through the competent ministry, civil society organizations, or other natural or legal persons in the public or private sectors, in accordance with the regulations set out in the Executive Regulations of this Law.
17- Participating in continuing education and adult education programs, and incorporating the study of elderly-related sciences and issues into the curricula of schools, institutes, and universities.
18- Participating in training and rehabilitation programs in accordance with the elderly person’s economic and social needs, and in a manner consistent with their physical, mental, and psychological capabilities.
19- Facilitating sports and recreational activities for elderly persons, and taking the necessary measures to prepare and adapt sports and recreational facilities so that they can access and use them. This also includes providing the methods and means that enable them to participate in such activities, as well as trained personnel, equipment, and sports facilities necessary to support their participation in national and international activities and events.
20- Supporting and developing the cultural, social, physical, and technological environment necessary to promote tourism programs designed for elderly persons, with the aim of improving their quality across all tourist destinations and facilitating elderly persons’ access to and enjoyment of such destinations.
21- Facilitating and enabling elderly persons to participate in nomination and voting processes in elections, as well as to express their opinions in referendums of all kinds. This includes providing the necessary tools and means to facilitate such participation, including, where required, the right to be assisted by companions or aides chosen by the elderly person, without prejudice to the provisions of the Law Regulating the Exercise of Political Rights issued by Law No. 45 of 2014.
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