Commission on the Status of Women holds session on cooperatives transforming care systems

© UN DESA

© UN DESA

NEW YORK (ILO News) – Co-organized by the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), the Government Offices of Sweden and We Effect, in collaboration with Cooperatives Europe and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the side event on 11 March, themed "Collectively transforming care systems with a multi-sectoral approach," explored ways to recognize, reduce, redistribute, and reward care work.

Emanuela Pozzan, Senior Specialist on Gender Equality and Non-discrimination of the ILO’s Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch (GEDI), delivered introductory remarks, underscoring the significance of the ILO’s Resolution concerning decent work and the care economy, which recognizes the importance of cooperative and multistakeholder models in care provision. “This resolution was agreed upon by governments, trade unions, and employers’ organizations, highlighting the value of community-based, collective approaches to care,” Emanuela stated.

The ILO is actively engaged in piloting cooperative-led care initiatives across different regions, following a structured approach that includes assessments, capacity building, piloting, and scaling up. These efforts prioritize stakeholder dialogue and participatory processes to ensure that solutions meet the needs of communities effectively.

Examples of ILO-supported initiatives demonstrate the adaptability of cooperative care models, including worker-owned, community-based care initiatives for indigenous women and midwives in Colombia; cooperative childcare provision for women in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT); cooperative care models as sustainable business alternatives for returning migrant workers from the Middle East in Sri Lanka and India; and innovative cooperative solutions to address the childcare needs of informal street vendors in Zimbabwe.

Speakers highlighted the critical role of cooperatives in transforming care systems. Xiomara Nuñez de Cespedes, President of the ICA’s Gender Equality Committee, emphasized the importance of women-led cooperatives in investing in care services. We Effect shared insights from its report, Not an Invisible Hand, on how cooperatives strengthen local governance and public accountability, particularly in indigenous and rural communities. Damaris R. Ruiz of We Effect stressed the importance of centring cooperatives in care system transformation during the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. Wenyan Yang, Chief of Global Dialogue for Social Development Branch of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and Chair of COPAC, underscored cooperatives' efforts to improve care workers’ working conditions.

Furthermore, participants discussed the need to reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women, implement regulations for decent working conditions and equal pay, and ensure collective bargaining rights for caregivers. They urged governments to invest in cooperative care solutions to advance gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals. Collaboration between cooperatives and other actors in the care sector was also emphasized.

Transforming care systems requires a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach that recognizes and supports care work as essential to sustainable development. This event represented a key awareness raising opportunity during the UN International Year of Cooperatives in 2025 to highlight the importance of leveraging cooperative models for the well-being of individuals and societies, fostering a more inclusive and sustainable care economy.