Description:The development of this report is a concrete WHO response to the 2002 United Nations Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) which recommended greater recognition and enhancement of the positive contributions made by older persons during emergency situations.In collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Help the Aged (UK), the World Health Organization commissioned case studies in 2006-2007 to examine how older persons fared in conflict-related and naturally caused emergencies in both developed and developing countries – war, drought, heat wave, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunami, ice storm, wild fires and a nuclear power plant explosion.The report contributes a wealth of real-life experiences to inform policy and practice makers about the needs and contributions that older people face during emergency and reconstruction phases.