The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) today reaffirmed its commitment to a society in which care is a central part of prosperous, sustainable and fair economies, during a special meeting on care and support systems organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York.
In a recorded message, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, stated that “care is at the foundation of the sustainability of life, and is key to achieving social justice and renewing the social contract. The concept of a care society inspires us, calls us together and renews our hopes for a better future.”
The meeting, convened by Paula Narváez, President of ECOSOC, featured opening remarks by Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (video); Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; and Laura Pautassi, Senior Researcher at the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina.
The document was subsequently launched Transforming Care Systems in the Context of the Sustainable Development Goals and Our Common Agendaduring a high-level panel in which the Executive Secretary of ECLAC participated along with representatives of the United Nations system agencies involved in its preparation.
The top representative of ECLAC highlighted that the recent resolution The ECOSOC resolution presented by Chile – on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and Paraguay – marks a milestone as the first provision at the global level focused exclusively on care and invites Member States to examine the benefits of implementing an agenda in this area. “The centrality of care for progress towards substantive equality has become a priority,” she emphasized.
During his speech, the Executive Secretary highlighted that “the Buenos Aires Commitment “The commitment adopted in November 2022 within the framework of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean is essential to move towards a care society. This pioneering commitment, linked to the presentation of the United Nations inter-agency study, proposes concrete measures to overcome inequalities and promote a fair organization of care.”
Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs stated that “we are facing a structural crisis of care that disproportionately affects women and girls, deepening inequalities and the feminization of poverty.” In this regard, he called for redoubling efforts and speeding up the pace, stressing that the document presented is an excellent guide and a great tool for this task. He invited Member States to examine the benefits of the care economy and to adopt, for example, the recommendations of the 5 Rs: recognition, reduction, redistribution, remuneration and representation, as proposed by the Guide.
The publication aims to promote care and support systems as foundational pillars of gender equality, human rights and sustainable development. It also seeks to articulate good practices and lessons learned on the contribution of care and support systems to ensuring the well-being and rights of people receiving care and those who care through coherent and gender-sensitive policies.
The event evaluated experiences, good practices and main challenges related to the promotion and investment in care systems and discussed the potential of investing in the care economy to reduce women’s time and income poverty and to promote women’s participation in the workforce and expand decent employment opportunities in the care sector.
Add Comment