The Commission for Social Development, acting by consensus on the final day of its sixty-second session, approved without a vote and forwarded the draft resolution titled “Promoting care and support systems for social development”. By its terms, the Council would urge States to ensure the creation of enabling environments for promoting care and support systems for social development and implement all measures necessary to ensure the well-being and rights of care recipients and caregivers, to recognize and redistribute care work among individuals, as well as families, communities, the private sector and States, and to contribute to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Introducing the text, the representative of Chile noted that unpaid caregiving continues to be invisible and undervalued, and unaccounted for in national statistics. The resolution is a first step towards recognizing caregiving, as the International Labour Organization (ILO) already estimates that it represents 9 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP), or $11 trillion. The care economy is fundamental in achieving gender equality, as women carry out 3.2 times more care work than men, and women aged 25 to 34 are 1.2 times more likely to live in extreme poverty. The social development approach must recognize, redistribute and value unremunerated care and domestic work.
The representative of Costa Rica, speaking in explanation of position, said that care is a right that involves addressing the needs of vulnerable people including children, older persons and disabled people, while taking into account those who provide care.
The representative of Belgium, speaking for the European Union, underscored the significance of the resolution and the role caregiving plays in societies, supporting both caregivers and care receivers. Noting that the draft should have included more robust references to intersectionality, he voiced regret at the loss of references to autonomy in the text.
The representative of Egypt noted the issue of care and support remains a regional priority, an issue which must be taken into consideration. The “care economy” does not have a clear definition, he said, calling for addressing the unequal burden of women and girls.
The representative of the United States underscored that the resolution is a non-binding document that does not create rights or obligations under international law. He recalled that the United States is not a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
