Two aspects of the gradual but inexorable aging of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean are of particular concern. One is that the population is aging faster in the region than it did historically in the developed countries. The other is the regional context of unrelenting inequality, weak institutional development, the poor coverage and quality of social protection systems and the high demands placed on the family to provide security and protection. This new book from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) examines the aging phenomenon from the demographic perspective, the guaranteeing of human rights in old-age and the public policies that the countries of the region are deploying in fulfillment of agreements arising from the first and second meetings of the Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (2003 and 2007). The book sets out the framework of rights-based social protection policies and how they apply to the particular situation of the elderly population and looks at the status of older persons in terms of income security, access to health and inclusive environments. It also examines the impacts of population aging on social protection systems - pensions, health and social services - and gives a general overview of the state of play of older persons' rights in national legislations and public policies implemented in the region. The book concludes with a summary of the main challenges that population aging poses to the building of democratic and inclusive societies and emphasizes the need to move forward in adapting policy responses to the demographic panorama of the coming decades.--Publisher's description.