To promote the idea of active ageing, an event has been organized in capital Baku to provide a dance therapy session for elderlies under the project “Building society for all ages: promoting wellbeing of the elderly persons in Azerbaijan through active ageing” (2019-2021) jointly implemented by the UNFPA Azerbaijan and Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (MLSPP) of Azerbaijan Republic.

The event was attended by the representatives of the UNFPA country office, MLSPP as well as “Uchuncu Bahar” (Third Spring), an NGO being one of the project’s implementing partners, who at the opening provided detailed information about the project and the idea of active ageing. It was noted that being one of the efficient methods of maintaining active and healthy ageing, dance therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance to support the intellectual, emotional and motor functions of the human body, resulting in stress relief, increase of physical fitness, improvement of confidence and self-esteem as well as encouragement of creativity and imagination.

The event continued with a practical session of dance therapy for a group of elderly under the coaching of the professional trainer.

Previously, similar meetings with the local communities of the older population took place in the regions of Azerbaijan (Lankaran and Mingechevir) to support cultivation of the active ageing idea among elderlies.

The Active Ageing project, implemented by the UNFPA and MLSPP in Azerbaijan, is an innovative social initiative providing for a variety of supportive and inclusive measures and programs to ensure active and healthy live for retired persons. The project’s activities include development of the country's first Active Ageing Index, public meetings with elderly people across the regions of the country, awareness raising and advocacy campaigns as well as tailored activities such as arranging computer courses, creating audio books and e-library, establishing social call centre etc.

The project is implemented in close cooperation with the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASAN Service), State Statistics Committee, Sustainable and Operative Social Security (DOST) Agency and “Uchuncu Bahar” Public Union.