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On the balmy May 4 of 2017, during the 50th Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Meeting in Yokohama, JICA and ADB signed their first MOU focusing on health and healthy ageing.

Presided by Minister of Finance Minoru Kihara, ADB President Takehiko Nakao, and JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka, the signing ceremony took place in the packed ballroom of the elegant, harbor-side, sail-shaped Intercontinental Hotel and was followed by a lively panel discussion on ‘Actions for Sustainable Development in Aging Asia: Strengthening Health System and Promoting UHC.'

Joining the panel were JICA Vice President Takao Toda, Thailand's National Health Security Office Deputy Secretary-General Jadej Thammatch-aree, WHO SEARO Director Poonam Ketrapal Singh, Councellor Hiroyuki Okajima from Japan's Office of Health Care Policy, and ADB's Chief of Health Sector Group Soonman Kwon, and University of Hong Kong's Dean of Faculty Medicine Gabriel M Leung.

Panelists shared their views on challenges and opportunities that come with the demographic shift facing many Asian countries. The ongoing increase in noncommunicable disease (NCD) cases is to be expected and could best be addressed through, among others, Japan's recently introduced initiative called "Integrated Community Care System."

Panelists also pointed out the potential role for public-private partnership in creating a healthy ageing society as well as the important role of the fiscal authorities in mobilizing resources and creating new financing mechanisms to sustain an efficient health financing and service delivery.

All recognized that evidence-based action plan is crucial; putting the people in the center is a must; and no one should be left behind.

The final take-home message, most importantly, is that with invaluable experiences accrued through several decades of living and working, these elders are veritable assets, or in the words of JICA Vice President Toda, "silver bonuses," whose life experiences and lessons it would be wise for the generations that come after to learn from.