A proven means of reducing old-age poverty and supporting multi-generational households is to introduce a basic social pension. Social pensions target development aid to the poorest. They can regenerate local economies and re-distribute wealth. They improve the nutritional status of the young, support school attendance and improve the health of all household members. The social pension in South Africa reduces the scale of older people’s poverty by 94 per cent and that of the population as a whole by 12.5 per cent. The introduction of social pensions by governments, with financial support from the international community, would make a significant contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Social pensions would fulfil government obligations to further the rights of older people, including the right to social protection.