The International Labour Organization (ILO), together with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women, marked the International Day of Care and Support 2025 with a high-level event in Geneva under the theme “Care and Support for All: Human Rights for All Those Providing and Requiring Care and Support.” The event brought together representatives from governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, UN agencies, and civil society to discuss how a rights-based, gender-, age-, and disability-responsive care agenda drives economic growth, equality, and decent work.
Speakers emphasized that care work—both paid and unpaid—is the foundation of every society and economy. Despite its centrality, millions of women remain excluded from the labour force and leadership roles due to unpaid care responsibilities. Investing in the care economy can create millions of jobs, advance gender equality, and strengthen social cohesion, with studies showing that every dollar invested in care generates significant returns in global GDP.
Representatives from South Africa, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Moldova, along with various UN entities and civil society organizations, shared their experiences in integrating care into national policies, financing mechanisms, and global cooperation frameworks. They also discussed aligning care systems with climate, migration, and humanitarian agendas to ensure care services are inclusive and responsive to all.
Employer and worker representatives highlighted the shared responsibility in strengthening the care sector. The Confederation of Danish Employers stressed the need for investment in training and professional development to ensure quality care and dignity for caregivers. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) reaffirmed its commitment to advancing care policies that promote social justice, decent work, and gender equality, guided by the ILO’s care-related resolutions.
The ILO outlined its progress since adopting the 2024 Resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy. Key actions include developing national capacities, launching the South-4-Care Platform to promote South–South cooperation, advancing global standards for measuring care work, and preparing a Tripartite Meeting of Experts on paternity and parental protection.
Closing the event, Sukti Dasgupta, Director of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Equality Department, called for decisive action on three fronts: investing in care, strengthening dialogue among governments and social partners, and implementing policies aligned with international labour standards. The ILO and its partners reiterated their call for bold public investment in care, ratification of care-related conventions, and implementation of the 5R Framework for Decent Care Work to achieve equality, dignity, and decent work for all caregivers and care recipients.
