3rd World Congress of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities

Theme: "Transforming Together! A Connected, Equitable and Sustainable Age-Friendly World for all generations"

Donostia / San Sebastian, Spain, 16-18 June 2026

The Age-Friendly Movement

Population ageing is one of the most transformative demographic trends of the 21st century, with profound implications for health, well-being, and social systems. In response, the age-friendly movement has emerged as a powerful global initiative to ensure that cities and communities are better equipped to support people as they age.

Launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2010, the Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities has grown rapidly, now encompassing more than 1,700 members across over 60 countries, covering more than 370 million people. The Network works to transform environments - across eight interconnected domains—from housing and transportation to social inclusion and community support - to be more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs and rights of older adults, both now and in the future.

By engaging local and national governments, civil society, and other stakeholders, the Network inspires change, enables cross-sectorial collaboration, fosters global exchange, and promotes innovative, evidence-based solutions. This movement is grounded in the ambitions of efforts to foster Healthy Ageing—enabling older people to be and do what they value. 

Creating age-friendly environments is one of four priority action areas of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).  They are also essential to realizing the broader ambitions of the Decade: a world where all people can live longer and healthier lives. Furthermore, they contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, helping to build societies that are just, equitable, and sustainable for current and future generations leaving no one behind. 

The 3rd World Congress of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities

Major global events play a pivotal role in assessing progress and shaping the future of the age-friendly movement. These gatherings provide essential platforms for stock taking, knowledge exchange, and strategic alignment.

The first two global congresses on age-friendly cities and communities, held in Dublin, Ireland (2011) and Quebec City, Canada (2013), were foundational in building momentum for the global age-friendly movement. They brought cities and communities together to exchange knowledge, align on shared priorities, and formally commit to action through initiatives such as the Dublin Declaration. These early conferences also enabled WHO to collect insights from early adopters, refine its age-friendly cities and communities  (AFCC) framework, and expand the Global Network. They helped establish a tone of solidarity, innovation, and collaborative ambition that continues to define the movement.

The third Global Congress in San Sebastian, Spain (2026) will offer a timely and important opportunity to reflect on progress since the Global Network’s creation and during the first half of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030). It will focus on our changing world, identify emerging opportunities including intergenerational connectedness, digital inclusion, caring and resilience in communities in the face of climate changes, conflict and pandemics as well as identify other gaps.

 Its setting will reinforce the importance of the Spanish-speaking community and engagement in the age-friendly agenda, already one of the most spoken languages in the Global Network.

Gaps and emerging priorities

As we celebrate the success of the network, we also recognize the need to accelerate progress in the last five years of the UN Decade and the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that inclusive and age-friendly initiatives are mainstreamed into policies and practices at all levels. To remain effective and future-fit, the age-friendly movement must evolve to address emerging challenges and seize new opportunities. A renewed strategic direction and strengthening of the WHO framework will better equip cities and communities to realize the transformative potential of population ageing.

While the age-friendly framework has been instrumental in catalyzing local action since 2007, emerging priorities and systemic gaps must be addressed to maintain its relevance and impact in today’s rapidly evolving world.

  • Connecting Generations, Technology and Care: Bridging gaps between generations, digital divides and primary and secondary care/formal and informal care

    Although social inclusion is a core domain of the framework, there is limited emphasis on intergenerational solidarity and social conection as a strategy for age-friendly development. In many contexts, generational divides are widening due to social fragmentation, housing segregation, and digital exclusion. There is a pressing need to promote shared spaces, programs, and policies that intentionally bring generations together and strengthens the social fabric—challenging ageism and fostering solidarity, empathy, and mutual support.

    Another area requiring stronger integration is the relation between age-friendly environments and the continuum of care. The original framework addresses community support and health services, but it does not fully reflect the need for integrated health and social care and the critical role of informal caregivers, community care networks, and local systems of solidarity in enabling people to care for one another and, in doing so, age well in a place that is right for them.

  • Equitable communities: Ensuring that no one is left behind

    Inequities accumulated throughout the life course strongly determine health, functional ability, and well-being in older age, as highlighted in the World Report on Ageing and Health  and the Global Report on Ageism . Social and structural determinants—such as income, gender, ethnicity, education, place of residence, and disability—shape opportunities for healthy ageing. Strengthening the equity dimension in age-friendly cities and communities is therefore essential to ensure that age-friendly actions explicitly identify and reduce barriers faced by the most disadvantaged group, including those living in poverty, informal settlements, rural or remote areas, and among marginalized populations.

    By embedding equity-sensitive indicators, participatory approaches for planning, implementing and evaluating initiatives, and targeted technical support, the age-friendly movement can better guide Member States and communities to develop inclusive, evidence-informed policies that reduce inequities and ensure that the benefits of age-friendly environments reach everyone everywhere.

  • Building More Sustainable Age-Friendly Communities

    Climate change and increasing disasters pose disproportionate risks to the present and future of cities and communities, yet these challenges are not adequately addressed in the current age-friendly framework. Furthermore, we are facing increasing threats of conflict and potential new pandemics. Decisions made today on climate mitigation and adaptation will profoundly shape the ability of current and future generations to enjoy clean, healthy, and sustainable environments.

    Ensuring that these decisions lead to age-friendly, climate-resilient communities is a shared responsibility across generations. This requires embedding climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and environmental sustainability into the design of built and social environments. Practical examples include  community-based emergency response plans that consider and anticipates diverse needs, green and blue public spaces that help mitigate urban heat, and opportunities for younger and older generations to take active roles in environmental stewardship and resilience planning. Strong social infrastructure and networks will also enable resilience in facing other challenges as new pandemics or potential conflict and social unrest.

Meeting present challenges, embracing future opportunities

The world is changing rapidly, requiring even stronger leadership and new solutions. At the same time, the global community has 15 years of continued work and experiences which can provide unprecedented opportunities to enhance age-friendly cities and communities. The challenge ahead is to ensure that all policies, programmes, services and related innovations are informed by the successes and failures of the past just so that we can address today’s challenges and pave a better future for healthy ageing. The 3rd World Congress will serve as both a celebration and a turning point—bringing together newcomers and pioneers in the movement to exchange ideas, inspire action, suggest new ways of creating age-friendly cities and communities and chart a bold course for the future.

Co-creation remains at the heart of the age-friendly movement. Finding local solutions to local needs also requires meaningful collaboration across sectors. As we envision the next 15 years, we must reflect and refresh what it means to be age-friendly. In that sense, the 3rd World Congress will be more than a gathering but a unique chance for this global community to learn from the past, embrace innovation, and commit to a renewed vision for cities and communities that empower people of all ages to thrive. This three-day Congress aims to:

  1. Celebrate Progress & Learn from Experience: Reflect on the achievements of the age-friendly movement over the past 15 years, highlighting key successes and lessons learned to inform the path forward.

  2. Foster Connections & Inspire Action: Bring together individuals and institutions to exchange ideas, showcase impactful initiatives and practices across all age-friendly domains - at local, national and global levels but also in academia and business.

  3. Shape the Future of Age-Friendly Cities & Communities: Collaborate in defining a bold vision for the future, incorporating emerging priorities, and identify the concrete steps needed to mainstream and accelerate age-friendly policies, practices, financing and research worldwide.