Older Persons and Crises: Rights and Challenges

Erik Castrén Institute (Faculty of Law) together with the Leo Mechelin Foundation and HelpAge International organize an International Conference "Older Persons and Crises: Rights and Challenges" on 20-22 March 2025, in Helsinki, Finland

There are more aged people in the world than ever, and their relative proportion of populations has been increasing. Despite this, the needs of older persons in the recent crises in the world – wars, pandemics, natural disasters, etc. – is a topic to which so far relatively little attention has been paid by international and domestic institutions.  The conference Older Persons in Crises: Rights and Challenges aims to examine these issues in a comprehensive and solution-oriented manner.  

The conference will be held at the University of Helsinki (Main Building, Great Hall, Fabianinkatu 33) on 20-22 March 2025. It is organized by The Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights at the University of Helsinki, in association with Leo Mechelin Foundation, and HelpAge International.  

The Conference Patron is President Tarja Halonen. She will address the Conference on the theme Sustainable Development and Older People

Keynote speakers at the Conference include:  

Claudia Mahler UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons 

Mia Seppo Assistant Director General, ILO 

Hanna Nohynek WHO SAGE chair, Chief Physician, Department of Health Security in the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare 

Plenary speakers include, among others:  

Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen Professor, Director of the Centre of Excellence on Global Mobility Law, University of Copenhagen  

Kati Juva co-president, IPPNW  

Teppo Kröger Professor, University of Jyväskylä 

Annu Lehtinen Executive Director, Finnish Refugee Council  

Laura Mills Amnesty International 

Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen Professor, University of Eastern Finland 

Krista Oinonen Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs  

Carole Osero-Ageng’o HelpAge International 

Petteri Taalas Professor, Director General of the Finnish Meteorological Institute 

Conference registration

The link for the Conference registrations is open!

We invite attendees or participants with abstract presentations. Accepted abstracts will be displayed on the Conference website. Among those, whose abstracts will be selected for presentations, we welcome submissions of full papers. If the quality and consistency of papers allow, they will be considered for publication in the Journal  'Medicine, Conflict, and Survival'.  Kindly read below the instructions for abstract submissions.

Participation fee is set at €100 for representatives of organizations, €50 for individuals (including researchers), and students are participating free of charge. A fee waiver is possible upon consideration, please contact us at intlaw-institute@helsinki.fi

Call for Abstracts

The Conference organizers are pleased to invite you to submit an abstract on any one of the four themes of the Conference Working Groups:

WG I: Wars and Conflicts

WG II: Environment and Climate Change

WG III: International Convention on the Rights of Older Persons?

WG IV: Older persons as Refugees

The abstracts should be submitted by February 15, 2025 via the registration link.

Submitted abstracts will be considered for oral presentations – as talks of approximately 10 min integrated into the Conference Working Group sessions. Abstracts will be organized by topic, and opportunities for presenters to discuss their work with interested participants will be provided in the Conference schedule.

Accepted abstracts will be displayed on the Conference website. Full papers could be considered for publication in the Journal  'Medicine, Conflict, and Survival' journal

Participation in the conference is possible (and encouraged) also without submitting an abstract. The general deadline for participant registrations is March 1, 2025.

Practical information

There are several hotels in the vicinity of the conference venue. 

1. Solo Sokos Hotel Helsinki
2. Radisson RED Helsinki
3. Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel

There is a limited amount of rooms available with a special rate at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Helsinki during the period 19.-24.3.2025. The allotment is available until 12.3.2025 6:00 PM (Finnish time)
Special prices (incl. breakfast) for the Conference participants are:

148,36 EUR / standard single room

170,34 EUR / standard twin room

Please quote the allotment code OPC2025 when making a reservation www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/

Helsinki can easily be reached from anywhere in the world. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main airport of Finland. The airport is situated 19 kilometers (approx. 25 minutes) from the center of Helsinki. Helsinki can also be reached by train, bus, or ferry.

Airport transport 

By train:

The train (P and I lines) leaves between Terminal 1 and 2, and arrives at the Helsinki Central Railway Station (Rautatientori). Tickets (zone ABC – 4.10€) can be purchased at designated HSL ticket machines before boarding the train. The journey takes approximately 35 minutes.

By bus:
The public transportation operator HSL serves the route Airport – Helsinki City Centre with bus number 615 and 415. The final stop is Helsinki Central Railway Station (Rautatientori). From the airport, the bus leaves from the bus terminal located in front of terminals T1 and T2.
The journey takes about 50 minutes and costs 4.10 € ( zone ABC) by both bus and train.

For more information please visit the Helsinki Public Transport website

Taxis are always available at the airport. The fare to the city will vary depending on the time of day, number of passengers, and distance, but the minimum price is 35 €.  The price depends on the total number of passengers going to the same destination. Taxis can be ordered at the company’s service point at the airport. Before taking a taxi ensure that you are paying a fixed price. Fixed prices start at 35-42€.

In the city center

The University of Helsinki is situated in the city center on Fabianinkatu 33right next to the Helsinki University (Helsingin yliopisto) metro station.

Public transport is easy to use in Helsinki, even if you are not familiar with the city.

In the public transport system, you can travel with single tickets (Helsinki internal or regional) or with a tourist ticket (Helsinki internal or regional). Single tickets can be purchased from ticket machines or via the HSL app. A Helsinki internal ticket (zone AB) costs 2,95 € from a machine or via the HSL app.

Day tickets for unlimited use on public transport (metro, train, tram, bus, ferry service) for 1-7 days cost from 9 to 36 € (zone AB) and are sold via the HSL app, at the Helsinki City Transport service point in the central railway station or full-range HSL ticket machines at the airport or central railway station.

For more information please see the HSL website.