Community-Led Approaches and Innovations for Better Care Systems, and Community Resilience toward an Inclusive Silver Economy
6–8 May 2026 · BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand · conducted in English as an interactive, dialogue-based workshop
Why communities are the delivery platform for the longevity agenda
Population ageing is reshaping labour markets, social protection systems, health and long-term care, and everyday community life. The pace of ageing in Asia and the Pacific is especially rapid, compressing the time available for institutions, financing arrangements, and service models to adapt — even as digital transformation, migration, urbanisation, informality, and climate risk reshape the same communities at the same time.
Communities are where the determinants of healthy, dignified ageing actually play out: housing, mobility, social participation, caregiving, access to primary care, and livelihoods. They are also where system fragmentation is felt most directly, as health and social services often operate in parallel with limited coordination. Global and regional commitments — the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) — all depend on local systems, local actors, and local accountability to move from intention to implementation.
This conference treats that translation gap as both strategic and operational: many countries have articulated ambitious ageing policy but lack practical tools to integrate health and social care, mobilise community actors, finance services sustainably, and measure outcomes consistently. It brings together policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and civil society to consolidate evidence on community-led approaches, compare delivery models across contexts, and advance implementation-ready pathways spanning financing, workforce, governance, digital enablement, and measurement.
Three core objectives
1. Structured dialogue
Facilitate international, policy-relevant deliberation among policymakers, researchers, practitioners, civil society, and development partners to share experience and reflect jointly on community-led approaches to care systems, resilience, and the inclusive silver economy.
2. Strengthened networks
Institutionalise international and regional networks on community-based care, ageing, and resilience — building trust, peer learning, and cross-country exchange that endure beyond the conference itself.
3. Mutual recommendations
Generate co-produced policy recommendations, research agendas, and implementation-oriented action plans that support follow-up activities and sustained engagement at local, national, and regional levels.
What the dialogue covers
Across plenaries, thematic dialogues, and analytical labs, discussion is organised around three connected themes, explored through five cross-cutting policy domains in each session: healthy ageing and integrated services, care pathways and navigation, care delivery and caregiver support, coordination and inclusivity, and governance, sustainability, data and scale-up.
Strengthening care systems
Integrated community and long-term care, workforce standards and safeguarding, and sustainable financing and resource mobilisation.
Community resilience
Climate risk, digital transformation and AI, age-friendly environments, and geopolitical uncertainty.
Inclusive silver economy
Investment landscapes, AgeTech and innovation, and financing mechanisms that turn longevity into shared opportunity.
These themes carry into four priority action areas confirmed on Day 3 of the conference: (A) Community Long-Term Care & Caregiver Support, (B) Workforce, Standards & Safeguarding, (C) Financing & Community Care Upscaling, and (D) Age-Friendly Environments & Community Resilience.
Hosts and co-hosts
The conference is jointly hosted by the Department of Older Persons (MSDHS), the College of Population Studies at Chulalongkorn University, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and the Ageing Innovation Expo Thailand — co-hosted by a consortium of UN agencies and international and regional organisations.
Host institutions
- Department of Older Persons, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS)
- College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University
- Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth)
- Ageing Innovation Expo Thailand
Co-hosting organisations
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
- UN-Habitat · Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- Alliance on Longevity in Asia-Pacific (ALAP)
- ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI)
- ASEM Global Ageing Center (AGAC) · Tsao Foundation
- Foundation for Older Persons’ Development (FOPDEV)
- Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) · NHSO
- Chulabhorn Royal Academy · NIDA · KRS Xpansion
- Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute (CU-COLLAR) & Chula ARI
Approximately 200 technical-track participants, five groups
5.1 Strategic partners & institutions
Host and co-host institutions, government agencies, international and regional organisations, development partners, philanthropic organisations, embassies, academic and research institutions, and civil society organisations shaping ageing and care-system policy.
5.2 Experts and researchers
Academics and technical specialists in long-term and integrated care, social protection, age-friendly environments, resilience, sustainable financing, digital transformation, AI, and AgeTech.
5.3 Implementers & community-based stakeholders
Local government, primary health and social service providers, the care workforce, community organisations, older persons’ associations, volunteer networks, social enterprises, and private-sector actors.
5.4 Speakers, panellists, moderators & rapporteurs
Invited contributors supporting plenaries, thematic dialogues, and analytical labs, and guiding the development of the Bangkok Recommendations. See the Programme for the full list.
5.5 Organising committee & host institutions
Representatives of the Department of Older Persons and the College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, serving as hosts, coordinators, rapporteurs, and technical support for programme delivery, documentation, communication, and post-conference follow-up.
An interactive, dialogue-based workshop
The conference is conducted in English over three days at BITEC, Bangkok, designed as an interactive event with dialogue and discussion built into every session, alongside selected open sessions connected to the Ageing Innovation Expo Thailand and the Asia Longevity Economy Summit. Simultaneous interpretation booths support participants on Day 1 and Day 2 where required.
Participants are expected to engage actively, contribute evidence and practical experience, focus on actionable and sustainable outcomes — particularly on financing, workforce readiness, governance, and measurement — and use the conference to build lasting professional networks and an ongoing community of practice.