Thirty-seven years ago today, on September 12, 1988 (August 2, 1988), the United Nations Sendai Conference sounded the alarm that the aging of the urban population is plaguing the world. On September 12, 1988, an international conference on the phenomenon of urbanization and aging from a global scale and its countermeasures was held in Sendai, Japan, co-hosted by the United Nations Population Division, the Japan Comprehensive Research Center for Aging Society and the City of Sendai. More than 50 representatives from 19 countries and regions including China, India, the United States and Egypt attended the conference. At present, the world's population is rapidly concentrating in cities, and the elderly population in cities is growing rapidly. It is predicted that by 2000, more than half of the elderly population in the world will be concentrated in cities, while the vast majority of the elderly population in the world will be concentrated in developing countries. The aging of the urban population has had a serious impact on the economic and social development of countries around the world. The Sendai Declaration adopted at the end of the meeting called on international institutions, governments and their local self-government institutions, and civil society to fully recognize the seriousness of the problem of urban aging and take corresponding countermeasures from now on. The declaration believes that it is necessary to further promote family-based pension policies; formulate laws to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly; and provide tax-free preferential policies for families who support the elderly, and provide necessary social services and subsidies. The declaration also calls for full re-employment opportunities for the elderly, which is also an important force for economic development.