Online inaugural session kicks off ILO’s South-4-Care Hub to advance decent work in the care economy through South-South and Triangular Cooperation

© Jeel Media/ ILO

© Jeel Media/ ILO

Geneva/Doha (ILO News) – On 1 September 2025, the International Labour Organization (ILO) convened the first global online sessions of the South-4-Care Hub. The Hub is the first phase in the ILO’s newly established South-4-Care Platform, an initiative designed to strengthen knowledge exchange and cooperation to advance decent work in the care economy through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC).

In June 2024, the International Labour Conference (ILC) adopted a resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy, prompting the creation of the South-4-Care Platform as part of a 2024–2030 Plan of Action. Designed as a forum for SSTC, the Platform facilitates knowledge exchange, capacity building and the sharing of policy innovations among developing countries to advance decent work in the care sector.

The inaugural session of the South-4-Care Hub was kicked off by Head of the ILO Emerging and South-South Partnerships Unit Anita Amorim, and by Manager of International Labour Standards, Rights at Work and Gender Equality at the ILO International Training Centre (ITC-ILO) Luisa Guimaraes, with the ILO Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) and the Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch (GEDI) of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Equality Department (WORQUALITY).

The Hub’s opening plenary session on 1 September introduced the role of SSTC in the care economy, highlighting how cooperation across the Global South can help address common challenges such as funding gaps, gender inequality and insufficient protections for care workers. Anita Amorim, Head of the Emerging and South-South Partnerships Unit, underlined the importance of Global South solutions and peer learning for the global implementation of South-4-Care, and noted that the platform is being launched during the UN month devoted to SSTC.

An official high-level launch of the Platform will take place in Doha, Qatar, on 15 September, bringing together labour ministers, employers’ and workers’ representatives, development partners, ILO officials, Learning Hub participants, UN agencies, development banks and other partners.

The official launch event will include a Partners’ Plenary session focusing on the support of funding partners to the Care Economy, featuring representatives from Brazil, Qatar, Germany’s international cooperation agency GIZ, Canada and South Africa. A South-South hybrid Plenary on the 16 of September will bring together the ILO PARTNERSHIPS department, the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation, the African Development Bank and the Qatar National Human Rights Committee. During this session, Peter van Rooij, director of the ILO PARTNERSHIPS department, and journalist Jamil Chade will hold a discussion on the importance of building international consensus and supporting the South4Care Platform in line with the International Labour Conference resolution.

The care economy, which includes both paid and unpaid work essential to well-being, has long been undervalued and underfunded. Workers, particularly women, often face informality, poor conditions and a lack of recognition despite their vital contributions. The South-4-Care Platform seeks to address these challenges by fostering knowledge sharing, capacity building and collaborative action among countries at different stages of development. It represents a significant step forward in ensuring access to quality care for all while creating decent work opportunities worldwide.