On 14 July 2026, the 1st session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Older Persons was held in Geneva.

The delegation delivered a statement welcoming the draft instrument and highlighting the Order of Malta’s medico-social work with older persons in 120 countries. It called for integrating climate change into the negotiations, recognising older persons’ right to freely practice their faith, ensuring AI serves human dignity, and mandating age-disaggregated data without upper limits.