Ombudsman Endrit Shabani is visiting the German Institute for Human Rights in Berlin today.

The meeting brings together human rights institutions to coordinate Europe's position regarding the first legally binding instrument on the rights of older persons.

For Albania, this issue is not merely theoretical. Emigration has left thousands of parents and grandparents alone in villages and cities, lacking daily care and often without access to healthcare services. Low pensions, a lack of long-term care services, and social isolation are among the complaints the Ombudsman addresses daily.

"Our elderly worked a lifetime for this country. Today, many of them are alone, living on pensions that do not even cover the cost of medication. We are not in Berlin merely to listen, but to ensure their voices are incorporated into the text of the treaty," stated Shabani.

At the conclusion of the meeting, European institutions will draft a joint guidance document regarding engagement with the UN process and the protection of the rights of older persons at the national level. The Ombudsman will submit the concrete recommendations resulting from this process to the Parliament and the Government and will initiate specific monitoring of services for the elderly in Albania.