The Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retirees of Spain and the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca sign a collaboration agreement

The Democratic Union of Pensioners and Retirees of Spain (UDP) and the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca sign today a framework agreement for collaboration to face the challenges inherent in the ageing population facing today's society.

Society is facing a global process of ageing resulting from a progressive increase in life expectancy and the reduction of birth rates which is causing an alteration of the population pyramids with important social and economic consequences.

The UDP seeks to contribute to this challenge by intensifying the presence of the elderly in all areas of society, making them active members, citizens with full rights, demanding consumers, decision-makers and managers of their living space, with special emphasis on who lives in rural areas.

FGUSAL, for its part, has made ageing a strategic and priority axis and, within the framework of the International Centre on Ageing, works to promote new professions for a different society, promoting research and innovation.

The objective of this agreement is to jointly develop actions that are considered necessary to achieve several objectives, among which, to sensitize society and generate a change of attitude that promotes ageing as a source of opportunities and not as a threat, promoting research, innovation and development to face this new scenario of the ageing society and the economic and social opportunities associated with it.

It is also important not to forget the clear idea of ​​creating new professional profiles and researchers specialized in quality ageing, in addition to implementing sustainable economic and social care models that favor the construction of a society committed to the ageing of the population, friendly for the elderly and trained to meet the needs that the elderly find in their daily lives.

The role of CENIE in all this is to build the foundations of a common vision between Spain and Portugal in the face of this new social reality, seeking answers that allow offering an adequate quality of life, economic sustainability to address social rights and opportunities to optimize capabilities of all the elderly

It should be remembered that CENIE is part of the INTERREG V-A Spain-Portugal Cooperation Programme (POCTEP) 2014-2020, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).