Efforts to maintain the productivity of elderly people; sharing Indonesian experiences for management of international organizations of developing countries

Becoming an elderly person is a blessing considering that not all individuals will enjoy a long life.  As the level of life expectancy increases, thanks to improvements in hygiene, medicine and a quality lifestyle of individuals /communities, the lifespan of a country’s population has the potential to become longer until average people can reach an old age.

When someone becomes elderly, their immune system naturally weakens, or is no longer as productive as when they were young. This is described in the main translation of the Al-Quran (Surah Yasin verse 68), which says as you get older your physical and even capacity of remembering changes. However, it is very important to maintain health and productivity during old age until that moment death calls upon you.

Current human civilization is characterized by various technological developments, including healthcare technology. At the same time, various problems have also emerged, with artificial and unnatural processed food / drink products packed with preservatives and residual pesticides. If these are not carefully monitored, they may well become a threat to human health. Other challenges found as threats include climate change, affecting communities and families, especially vulnerable groups and the elderly; these are increasing, while health facilities and infrastructure in most developing countries are limited or even inadequate.

Based on records from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2022 the group aged 60 years and above will number around 901 million people, rising to 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050. Such a surge in numbers is unprecedented and will accelerate in coming decades, especially in developing countries.

Moving on from efforts to overcome threats that can result in a shortening of a person’s life expectancy and anticipating the dynamics of the uneven demographic bonus in the world and limitation of infrastructure in a country, various social and family development activities are promoted, one being social welfare and health community development programs. This effort is on the global agenda for 2030. However, considering the different levels of prosperity of countries around the world, initiatives that can reduce the negative impact for maintaining the success of life expectancy and prosperous elderly people are still needed.

The global program as described above is principally aimed for the benefit of all age groups, including vulnerable groups and the elderly. This age group is expected to remain productive and have and even inherit positive experience and skills for themselves and their environment.

In connection with the above, since the formation in 1970 of the National Family Planning Coordinating Agency/BKKBN, until the Ministry of Population and Family Development/BKKBN was set up in 2024, the commitment of state administrators has become increasingly integrated. The approach to handling this issue is also pentahelix (multi-stakeholder).

In line with the above commitment and as a form of achieving the objectives of the founding of the Indonesian state, senior authorities and society, as part of the global community and along with related parties in the field of aging, are open and active in carrying out activities to share experiences and even provide learning related to social welfare and health development program for the elderly. In practice, at the national level there is an elderly education activity known as “Standard Intelligent School Education for the Elderly” organized once a month for 1 year. This activity supports community activities of the elderly that were organized in their respective administrations, in the form of empowerment activities and religious enlightenment, according to their respective religions, so that the elderly are invited to contribute, based on their remaining abilities, experience and expertise in a community environment. In this activity, the term “Pioneer Partner” is also known, deriving from figures in higher education institutions who have actively opened related study centers, and also from community leaders, including non-governmental organizations / institutions and the media.

Indonesia’s role was also observed and witnessed by representatives of the World Population Institution (UNFPA) during the graduation ceremony of the Indonesian elderly school in December 2024, and is now being disseminated at other global forum levels. This can be seen, when representatives of state administrators and related parties, including higher education institutions, hospital administrators and national non-governmental organizations, actively participate in disseminating this program and deliberating to provide the best input and support for this aging issue, through the Secretariat of the International Organization for Developing Countries and regional bodies.

In 2025, recent dissemination by Indonesia shares this experience and has attracted the attention of the leaders of international organizations, in collaboration with the Technical Training Department at a subsidiary body of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation / OIC, as one of the International Organizations of Developing Countries of which Indonesia is a member, namely the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries / SESRIC or the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries. This center was established based on Resolution no. 2/8-E, adopted by the Eighth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM), held in Tripoli in May 1977. The Center began its activities in Ankara on 1 June 1978.

This initial virtual discussion session was held on January 6 2025 at the Respati Indonesia / URINDO University campus, East Jakarta and SESRIC Headquarters in Ankara-Türkiye, respectively, around the theme of “Elderly Development in Indonesia”. The activity was attended by a number of leaders and staff of SESRIC-OKI, as well as the Chancellor of URINDO, the leadership of the Center for Aging Studies and their staff, along with the author.

At this virtual meeting, there was a commendation by the Director of SESRIC-OIC, who stated that this Indonesian program is closely related to world efforts, especially within the scope of membership of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation/OIC, to assist in the improvement of the quality of human resources and social development for members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation/OIC.

Among the key issues or programs that attract and have become a source of inspiration from Indonesia for SESRIC at the virtual meeting above, are Indonesia’s programs and experience in the field of elderly development, as conveyed by the Head of the Center for Aging Studies at the CEFAS-URINDO campus. Among others:

1. a) Community-Based Programs for Elderly: these community-based programs are designed to encourage an active stance for older people, with a focus on integrating older individuals into society. This program has had a positive impact in enabling seniors to remain involved, active and healthy, both in the form of empowerment activities and the dissemination of complementary and interactive experiences and skills.
2. b) Indonesia’s experience in collaborating with countries or communities in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) by developing a framework to create active participation for the elderly. This interaction is believed to be quite in accordance with Islamic cultural considerations, as Islamic principles also teach respect for the elderly.

In line with the content of the discussion above, the development of this program in Indonesia is also compatible with the mission of the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which through its Finance Ministers’ Meeting in December 1973 in Jeddah agreed to the establishment of an Islamic Development Bank headquarters in Jeddah-Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The main focus of establishing this bank is to assist OIC member countries in improving the social welfare of member countries. This Bank also opened its Hub Office in Indonesia, in 2016. It is hoped that these institutions and its function can be synergized.

In the end, the efforts of the relevant parties in Indonesia to advance the welfare and health level of the elderly are an inseparable goal from the noble goals of the founding of the Indonesian state and are in line with Indonesia’s active efforts to help create prosperity for the world.

Hopefully, this interaction will benefit Indonesia and the world, and be more sustainable. Wallahu’alam bishowab.

Ditulis oleh : Moehammad Amar Ma'ruf