Hanoi (VNA) - An international workshop on November 18 and 19 is underway toprovide a forum for foreign experts to share their experience and makerecommendations on promoting active ageing and mental health in ASEAN memberstates.

The “International Workshop on Strengthening Stakeholders Cooperation inPromoting Active Ageing and Mental Health in ASEAN” is being co-held by the Ministryof Health, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the UNPopulation Fund (UNFPA), and the World Health Organisation (WHO), in bothface-to-face and video conferencing forms. It has gathered more than 170representatives from ASEAN member states and partners.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong saidthe 21st century is viewed as the century of population ageing. ASEAN has thethird-largest population in the world, after only China and India. The elderly(those aged over 65) number more than 45 million people, accounting for 7 percent of the regional population. By 2030, this group of population is forecast to reach132 million, or 16.7 percent of the bloc’s population.

Four ASEAN nations - Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia - are alreadyconsidered ageing societies and expected to move to “super-aged” by 2050,Cuong said.

He went on to talk about the situation in Vietnam, saying the countryentered the “ageing” phase in 2011 and remains among the most rapidly-ageingcountries in the world. The elderly now account for 7.7 percent of the nationalpopulation, or 7.4 million people, with over 2 million aged 80 or above.

It will take Vietnam only 20 years to move from an “ageing” society,where the over-65s make up 14 percent of the total population, to an “aged” one,where the percentage is over 14 percent, while such a transition took much longerin developed countries, such as France (115 years), Switzerland (85 years),Australia (73 years), and the US (69 years), the deputy minister noted.

Ageing-induced demographic changes have had a major impact on allsocio-economic matters in each country and each society, he continued, so theworkshop offers a good opportunity for ASEAN countries to seek ways to ramp up theconcerted efforts of all stakeholders in enhancing care for the elderly andachieving an active ageing and healthy ASEAN Community as well as a cohesiveand resilient ASEAN./.