1. “Increased longevity is providing humanity with a new frontier, a broadening of our mental and physical landscape. The older people of today are, in many ways, pioneers. True to this spirit, they have been innovators, catalysts and leaders of the many initiatives taken during the year. In doing so, they have helped pave the way to a safer, healthier and richer life for the many generations of older people who will come after them.”
— General Kofi Annan
“人类寿命的延长给q我们人类带来了新的（研究课题），并且也拓展了人类对精神与物质前景的展望。在许多方面，当今的老年人都是先遗者。与之相应，他们都是许多创新活动的开创者，推动者有其领导者。通过这些，他们帮助其身后的数代老年人为创建一个安全、健康和富裕和社会生活铺平了道路。”
— 秘书长科菲?安南
2. The over-60 population is growing faster than any other age group. Between 1950 and 2050 it is expected to increase from 200 million to 2 billion. As the number of older persons increase, so will the need to ensure their social inclusion, based on an income from decent work or retirement and a chance to participate in community life through employment, volunteer work or other activities. According to the International Labour Organization, “decent work” is work that meets people’s basic aspirations, not only for income, but also for security for themselves and their families, in a working environment that is safe. Decent work treats men and women equally, without discrimination or harassment. Finally, decent work provides social security and is carried out in conditions of freedom and human dignity.
60岁以上年龄的人口数量的增长快于其他任何一个年龄段的人口数量的增长。人们预计，从２０世纪中叶到２１世纪中叶，６０岁以上年龄组的人口数将由２亿增加至２０亿。随着老年人口数量的增加，对于为确保他们社会包容性的需求也相应随之增加了。这种社会包容是基源于“可敬的工作”或退休基金的收入，和能够通过雇佣关系、自愿无偿或其他活动而获取的到的参与社区活动的机会。根据国际劳动组织，“可敬的工作”是指在一个安全的工作环境中，不仅是为了金钱方面的收入，而且为了给自身及其家庭寻求一种安全保障的，能够满足人类的基本精神渴求的工作。“可敬的工作”中，没有歧视，没有骚扰，男女平等。最后一点，“可敬的工作”提供给人们社会安全感，工作是在一个自由和人人平等的环境中进行的。
3. But there are over 1.2 billion people in the world who live on an income of less than ＄1 a day, and another billion who live on less than ＄2 a day. They live hand to mouth, day to day, and do not have enough income to support their daily existence — much less put something aside for retirement. In most developing countries retirement is a luxury few older people can afford. Even in developed countries some hard working people will not have enough to live on retirement. Many women — paid less than men, working more at home than men, and working more informally than men — may not be ready or able to rest at 65.
然而，世界上有１.2亿之多的人口其日收入不足１美元，另外１亿人口的收入也不足２美元。日t复一日，他们的工资仅能糊口，根本就没有足够的钱来支付其他的日常需求，更别说拿出资金为退休金储蓄备用了。在很多发展中国家，退休金的储蓄备用是一种几乎没有人可担负得起的奢侈。即使是在发达国家，某些努力工作的人们也是没有足够的收入来支付它的。许多妇女收入比男人们低，相比之于男人们，她们更多在家干活，其 工作也更加不正式—她们可能在６５岁时不准备或是没能力休息。
4. By tradition, at least in developed countries, there is a change in roles as one moves from active middle years into “gentle” and “enjoyable” retirement. This change in roles has been viewed by the public, by government and by business, as a transition from a productive time of life to one that is unproductive and dependent. But today more than ever, this is not true. Most older people do not withdraw from society. In stead, they continue to contribute to their households, to their descendants and to their communities, although their contribution may not be paid employment.
传统上，至少在发达国家如此，即当个人由活力四溢，奉献社会的中年阶段迈进精力衰减和享受社会的退休年龄段时，都是一个角色的转变。作为个人生活从生产时段向非生产时段和信赖时段的转变，这已被公众、政府及商业团体所正确合理的看待了。然而，相对于其他任何时候，在今天事情已不是这个样子了。大多数的老年人并没有退出社会生活的圈子。相反地，他们继续奉献于他们的家务，子孙及其社区，尽管这些奉献的付出是没有报酬的。
5. Instead of producing goods or services — the traditional economic model “products” — older persons may contribute a “product” that has value to society, such as caring for children, caring for other older persons, caring for the oldest old, providing community leadership, mentoring or being an effective role model. But in spite of their significant human and economic benefits, such contributions have not been figured into an economy’s gross national product. And they have not been appropriately valued.
不同于以往传统经济意义模式上的产品(生产品或服务)—现在的老年人可能服务于某些具有社会价值的“产品”，例如，照看小孩子，照顾其他老年人或照料其他更老的老年人，担任社区领导，提供咨询服务或作为一个能 起积极作用的工作模范。尽管他们也带来了巨大的人文和经济效益，但这些奉献付出并没有被归纳计算为国家的国民生产总值。这些老年人的贡献并没有被合理的进行估价。
6. Over the past several decades, most industrialized countries have experienced a substantial drop in the average age at which individuals retire from the labour market. Longer life expectancy and better health have not been accompanied by longer working lives. As a consequence, these countries are facing serious concerns about the viability of social security systems. A key challenge for these countries is to mitigate the effects of a drop in the working age population by increasing and prolonging the participation of older people in the labour market.
在过去的几十年中,，大多数工业国家都经历了从人才市场上退休的个体劳力其平均年龄显著下降的过程。人类寿命的延长或健康状况的提升并没有带来随之相伴的个人工作年限的延长。结果，这些国家的社会安全保障系统的存在能力面临严重忧患。这些国家所面临的一个关键性挑战就是通过增加或延长劳动力市场上老年人的工作年限来减缓工作年龄段人口数量减少所引起的系列效应问题。
7. Social protection is a basic component of decent work. The objective of most social protection schemes is to provide access to health care and income security. But today more than half the world’s population is excluded from any type of social security protection.
社会保护性也是“可敬的工作”的一个基本构成部分，大多数社会保护计划方案的目标就是为社会提供医疗护理和收入安全保障。但是，当今世界上二分之一以上的人口并未享受到任何类型的社会安全保护。
8. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, statutory social security coverage ranges from 5 to 10 percent of the working population, and in some cases is decreasing. In Latin America, coverage differs from country to country, ranging from 10 to 80 percent. In Southeast and East Asia, coverage can vary between 10 and almost 100 percent.
在亚撒哈拉非洲所属的某些国家及南亚地区，法定社会安全保障范围占工作人口总量的5%~10%，在某些情况下还正在降低。在拉丁美洲，各个国家不同，其范围占10%~80%。在东南亚和东亚地区，其范围也从10%至几乎100%不等。
9. In most developing countries, no more than 20 percent ─ and sometimes as few as 5 percent — of older persons can expect to receive a pension or adequate health care. People working in the informal economy, predominantly women, are likely to have very low or no income in old age.
大多数发展中国家，不超过20%—有时仅5%—的老年人期望能够得到养老金或完善的医疗护理。工作在一个非正式经济体系的人们，尤其是妇女，很可能在年老时只有很低的收入，甚至没有收入。
10. For older persons, the main expenditure tends to be on health. Health care is an essential part of social protection in any society, and as the global population ages, it is essential that health services adapt to new demands. Even in countries where the family takes on the responsibility of caring for frail older people, global pressures and trends suggest that the elderly will increasingly be forced to rely on themselves, as younger people move from rural to urban areas for economic reasons.
对老年人来说，其主要消费支出就是健康方面的支出。在所有社会中，医疗护理是社会保障系统的一个重要组成部分。随着全球人口的老龄化，医疗服务系统调整以适应新的需求是至关重要的。即使是在家庭承担照顾老弱病者的国家里，全球压力及其这种趋势也暗示说明老年人将逐渐被迫依靠他们自己。因为经济的原因，稍年轻的人都从乡村涌入了城市。
11. A growing sector of the population that will certainly require care is the oldest old, those 80 years of age or older. Some have developed strategies for caring for themselves and for each other, and are thus able to receive and give care and support, to remain independent and to have control over their own lives. But the percentage of the oldest old is growing very rapidly, and there is an urgent need, particularly in developing countries, to expand care and security networks.
人口中那些确实需要照顾的且正在增长的部分就是最年长的老人，那些80岁或更老的老年人。有些人已经想出了某些方法来照顾他们自己或相互照顾，因此也能够受到或给予照顾或支持，以保持独立和料理自己的生活。但是，这些老年人所占的比例正在迅速增长，所以，迫切需要发展护理和安全保障网络体系，尤其是在发展中国家。
12. The overall cost of health care due to aging alone is expected to increase by 41 percent between 2000 and 2050 (36 percent for the more developed countries, 48 percent for the less developed). Financing of health systems that takes into account aging-related costs will be one of the main challenges for all countries.
仅就老年人来说，其医疗护理的总费用估计将在2000~2050年间增长41%（最发达国家占36%，欠发达国家占48%），医疗系统的财政方面用于老年人医疗的费用，对所有国家来说，都将是一个重大挑战。