UN Women and Partners Observe International Day of Care Following Successful Asia-Pacific Care Forum

[Press release]
For immediate release

Bangkok, Thailand –  As the world observes the International Day of Care and Support, UN Women and its partners are building on the momentum of the successful 2024 Asia-Pacific Care Forum, held in Bangkok from 22 to 24 October. This annual regional gathering convened a diverse coalition, including representatives from governments, civil society, workers’ unions, investors, businesses, and care entrepreneurs, to address the urgent need to transform care systems and drive a truly regional care movement.

Care for children, the elderly, people with disabilities and vulnerable populations is a right — and a shared responsibility — that is essential for families, societies and economies to function and thrive. Yet globally, and especially in the Asia-Pacific region, women disproportionately shoulder the burden of unpaid care work. This widespread inequality limits women’s participation in the labour market, contributes to economic insecurity and perpetuates gender disparities.

 “The 2024 Asia-Pacific Care Forum offered a vital platform for exchange, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, and catalysing actions to transform care as a crucial enabler for advancing women’s economic empowerment. UN Women’s efforts, in coordination with UN and Development partners, to transform care span the globe and we are pleased to share these learnings with our region,” said Christine Arab, Regional Director of UN Women Asia and the Pacific. “It will be crucial to convert this momentum into tangible benefits for women and girls – which will only be possible with the right investments and commitment.”

Drawing over 200 participants from 19 countries, the Forum exemplified the power of collaboration. UN Women extends its gratitude to its partners: the Global Alliance for Care, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Visa Foundation, the Asian Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and AYAT Care.

“The recognition of care as a public good and essential to inclusive, resilient societies marks a pivotal shift in how care is valued across sectors and communities,” said Ana Moreno, Technical Secretary of the Global Alliance for Care. “The Alliance, through its members, supports the development of robust and equitable care systems that uplift caregivers, ensure decent work for care workers, engage communities, and lay the groundwork for a just and sustainable future. Transforming care is essential not only for advancing gender equality but also for addressing pressing challenges, from ageing populations and migration to climate resilience.”

The Forum delved into critical issues at the intersection of care and economic development, focusing on women’s economic empowerment and gender equality. Discussions ranged from the impacts of demographic shifts and job creation in the care sector to addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women’s unpaid domestic and care work. The Forum also explored innovative approaches to financing and implementing care delivery models, strengthening social protection systems for care workers and advancing skills development and professionalization within the care sector. Additionally, the Forum emphasized the need to promote family-friendly cities, highlight the importance of evidence-based decision-making, emphasize the private sector’s role in supporting employer-backed care and to engage men and boys, communities and institutions to shift social norms.

Transforming care requires both action and investment. Every action must adopt a gender-transformative approach, prioritize women’s voices and needs, apply a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach and consider diverse care needs across the life cycle. UN Women’s Transform Care Investment Initiative Asia-Pacific (TCII-AP), launched at the Forum, calls for catalytic investments to benefit at least 100 million women and girls, create 125 million new employment opportunities in the care economy by 2035, and reduce women’s unpaid care work by at least two billion hours.

A key moment of the Forum was the recognition of more than 40 members from the Asia-Pacific region within the Global Alliance for Care, which now has over 200 members across the globe.

The Forum aligned with the broader gender equality vision set out in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the upcoming Beijing+30 Review, during which countries will assess their progress on SDG 5. This initiative also links to the global ‘Pact for the Future’ endorsed by world leaders. It recognizes the interdependence of women’s economic empowerment, care systems and sustainable development, as highlighted in UN Women’s recent publication, ‘Caring Societies, Inclusive and Green Economies in Asia and the Pacific – Unveiling Data to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment Beyond GDP’.