- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2021
Comprehensive review of policies to facilitate active ageing in Lithuania
Lithuania is ageing rapidly. The ratio of the old-age population (65 years and older) to the population aged 15-64 years will almost double from 32 individuals aged 65 and over for 100 persons in 2022 to nearly 60 by 2050, and the existing measures to facilitate active ageing tend to be fragmented, lacking a coherent and systemic approach.
While being an important portion of the Lithuanian population, people aged over 50 also represent today about 40% of the total unemployed population, a level that has been rising for the past 10 years. In this context, the project was designed to support the Ministry of Social Security and Labour to develop and implement a new approach to the active integration of older people into social, as well as public and political life, and to enhance their participation in employment activities and lifelong-learning programmes.
This project contributes to the ongoing reform on implementing the National Strategy for Demography, Migration and Integration Policy for 2018-2030 and the National Progress Plan for 2021-2030 in Lithuania.
Context
More than half of Lithuanian people aged 60 and over living alone experience feelings of social loneliness at least sometimes (Mikulionienė et al. 2018) and lack the tools, methods, and opportunities to maintain social relationships, to participate meaningfully in social life and in the labour market, and to actively contribute to decisions that are directly relevant to their well-being.
Existing measures to promote social inclusion are fragmented due to the lack of an integrated horizontal state approach and usually targeted to people below age 65, such as efforts to promote volunteering. Therefore, there is a need for a coherent and systemic approach to including older people in the labour market, social and public and political life.
Support delivered
The project was implemented from May 2021 to June 2023 with OECD as a provider. It provided support to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour in the development and implementation of a new approach to the active integration of older people into social, as well as public and political life, and to the enhancement of their participation in employment activities.
The OECD team and the European Commission supported the Ministry through undertaking a multi-dimensional analysis of the key areas of active ageing and underlying structural challenges, compiling good practices among other EU Member States, and proposed a pilot implementation plan to test new approaches to active participation at the local level in Lithuania.
Results achieved
The project supported Lithuania to develop and implement an innovative model of active participation of older people in society, which aims to create favourable opportunities and conditions for the integration of older people into social and public and political life and their participation in employment activities.
The project sets the ground for implementation on a larger scale through the provision of a pilot implementation proposal. In the long term, the project is expected to contribute towards a higher participation of older people in social, public, and political life and towards offering improved opportunities for participation in the labour market and lifelong learning.
More about the project
You can read the final report here: