A meeting was held today, March 18, 2022, under the presidency of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. The 23rd Session of the House of Elders, managed by the Pancyprian Coordinating Council for Volunteerism and the Coordinating Body of the House of Elders, was held at the Philoxenia Conference Centre on the theme "The elderly in the face of the spectre of old age".
In addition to the President of the Parliament, the session was addressed by the President of the Pancyprian Coordinating Council for Volunteerism and the Coordinating Body of the House of Elders, Mr. Elias Demetriou, the Director General of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, Mr. Andreas Zacharias on behalf of the Minister, the Director General of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Dr Christina Vasiliou Giannaki on behalf of the Minister, the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Ms Anastasia Anthousi, as well as representatives of the House of Young Representatives and the Cyprus Children's Initiative. Members of the House of Representatives were also present and actively participated in the dialogue.
At the 23rd Session, the reports of the Social Welfare Committee and the Health Committee of the House of Elders were presented, a fruitful and constructive dialogue was held on the problems faced by the elderly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring the inalienable right of the elderly to live in dignity as people who have contributed to society, as well as the formulation of policies that will effectively support them.
In her address, the Speaker of the House of Representatives particularly congratulated the Pancyprian Coordinating Council for Volunteerism and the Coordinating Body of the House of Elders for their excellent organization, as well as the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare and the representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance and the Ministry of Health for their participation, expressing the hope that "the practical cooperation of the legislative and executive authorities, with the adoption of relevant policies, will contribute to finding effective solutions to the problems of the elderly", which were exacerbated during the pandemic period. Furthermore, the President reaffirmed once again the support of the House of Representatives for institutions that strengthen active citizenship, participatory democracy, pluralism and transparency, values that the House of Elders also espouses, and referred to the particularly important role that the House of Elders has played over time, "the forum for dialogue, reflection and communication between the parliament and the mature members of our society, the forum from which our elder citizens have the opportunity to be heard, to promote their demands and to claim their inalienable and self-evident right to decent living and quality of life". He stressed that the demands of the elderly concern all of us and that it is the duty of all of us to show our gratitude to them for all they have contributed to our country. In closing, the President assured the House of Representatives of its support for older persons, "making every effort to solve their problems".
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