ASEM Global Ageing Center is pleased to announce the publication of Issue Focus Spring/Summer 2026 Edition.

The theme of this edition is "Ageism and the Right to Work in Later Life." As international attention to ageism continues to grow, there is an increasing need to examine how ageism affects the world of work, where significant policy discussions and institutional reforms are currently taking place. In response, this issue focuses on ageism and the right to work in later life.

The report examines the current landscape of older workers and ageism across Asia and Europe, while highlighting a range of policy and societal initiatives aimed at addressing ageism. It also explores the right to work and ageism through an intersectional disability perspective and presents a practice-based case study of a microfinance initiative in Bangladesh to illustrate how ageism and the right to work in older age are experienced in real-world contexts.

We are honored to feature contributions from the following distinguished experts:

- United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP): Dr. Sabine Henning and Dr. Napaphat Satchanawakul
- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE): Dr. Philipp Hessel and Dr. Lisa Warth
- Bar-Ilan University: Prof. Liat Ayalon, Dr. Rachel Crossdale, Dr. Sourav Das, and Dr. Veronika Kotýnková Krotká
- Resource Integration Center (Bangladesh): Ms. Ferdoushi Begum

We hope this publication will serve as a valuable resource for advancing discussions on meaningful participation in society and the workforce for both current and future older persons, while contributing to efforts to build a more age-integrated society.

For more information, please refer to the attached report.