In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Aging held in Madrid, Spain, approved the Political Declaration and Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002. The goals and objectives of said Plan were established and conceived with a focus to build what was called "a society for all ages", so that, twenty years after its creation, it continues to be an instrument that provides a transformative vision on aging from the international viewpoint, as well as guidelines for the design and implementation of national policies. It constitutes a great contribution to the construction of the international regimen for the protection of Human Rights of older persons.

In 2003, ECLAC, fulfilling the mandate of the Second World Assembly on Ageing together with the Inter-Institutional Group on Ageing, convened the Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing that was held in the city of Santiago de Chile. During the Conference, the Regional Implementation Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Madrid International Plan of Action was approved, at which time the participating nations committed to defining specific goals in accordance with their own realities in order to monitor progress.

In resolution 616 (XXXI) of 2006, the Member States of ECLAC requested the Secretariat to organize a regional intergovernmental Conference in order to follow up, examine, and evaluate the progress of the Regional Implementation Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Madrid International Plan of Action. This was carried out with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2007, in the city of Brasilia.

The Second Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean resulted in the "Declaration of Brasilia", in which the countries pledged to redouble their efforts to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of older persons, work on the eradication of discrimination and violence, and create protection networks to make their rights effective.
 
In 2012, the Third Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean was held in San José, Costa Rica. As a result of their work, the San José Charter on the Rights of Older Persons was approved, which constituted a commitment by the States of the region to reinforce actions aimed at increasing the protection of the human rights of older persons at a national level and improve social protection systems so that they can respond to their needs.

Another relevant precedent at the regional level is the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, approved in 2013 within the framework of the First Meeting of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Chapter C of the Montevideo Consensus is dedicated to ageing, social protection, and its socioeconomic challenges. And in 2015, the Inter-American Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons was adopted, within the framework of the 45th regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and, more recently, in August 2020, the Decade of Healthy Aging (2021-2030) was approved during the World Health Assembly and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 2020. The Decade of Healthy Aging is the main strategy to achieve and support actions aimed at building a society for all ages. It is based on the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging and is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2017, the Fourth Intergovernmental Regional Conference on Aging and the Rights of Older Persons was held in Asunción, Paraguay to continue monitoring the commitments assumed by the countries. There, the Declaration of Asunción Building Inclusive Societies: Aging with Dignity and Rights [3] was approved, which promotes the inclusion and active participation of older persons. It also urges governments to incorporate the issue of aging in a transversal manner in public policies, recognizing gender inequalities, and incorporating into its design the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and substantive progress in terms of policies and programs aimed at care.

Finally, pursuant to resolution 743(XXXVIII) approved at the thirty-eighth session of ECLAC held in October 2020, and resolution 4(IV) of the Fourth Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in June 2022, the Fifth Intergovernmental Regional Conference on Aging and the Rights of Older Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean will be held in hybrid mode (face-to-face and virtual) at ECLAC Headquarters, in Santiago, Chile, from December 13 to 15, 2022.