Highlights and recommendations for practitioners: Asia-Pacific Care Economy Forum

In Asia and the Pacific, women do four times more unpaid care work than men—at the cost of their own health, well-being, and prosperity. This leaves women with little time to engage in economic and political activities, making them further invisible, fuelling gender wage gaps and preventing them from participating in paid work. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia was the only region in the world with declining female labour force participation rates.

Recognizing the urgent need to strengthen care delivery models, UN Women, Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), and Kiddocare hosted the 2023 Asia-Pacific Care Economy Forum in Kuala Lumpur in support of the 2023 Women Deliver Conference and the Global Alliance for Care. The Forum was supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Visa Foundation, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Government of Australia and partners in Malaysia such as Malaysia Venture Capital Management (MAVCAP), World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC).

This output document contains a summary of key insights, reflections, and a call to action from the Forum, with specific recommendations for different players located along the care diamond, with further recommendations for investors, care enterprises, delivery models, and employers. The recommendations will inform and further catalyse the global movement and will be presented at the Women Deliver Conference in July 2023 as well as to multilateral forums, including the working groups of the G20 and members of the Global Alliance for Care.