Dear members,
It is with great pleasure that we share the second quarterly Newsletter, which shows the activities that we, as the Global Alliance for Care (GAC), have carried out between July and October 2023.
As you will see, these have been months of great activity, with major celebrations: the first, at the global level, is the inaugural celebration of the International Day of Care and Support proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on July 2023. On the occasion of the establishment of this Day, the GAC has been present at many commemorative events, some of which we recount in this Newsletter.
There was also an important presence of the GAC at the 78th United Nations Assembly, with several activities that made it possible to showcase the Alliance's work in international forums.
The other great news we are sharing is the launch of the Global Digital Community on Care, a platform that brings together the GAC membership’s production around care: reports, videos, audio, statistics, books, maps, etc. This platform can be useful for advancing the care agenda, whether through the design and implementation of care policies and services, analysis and research, or the development of communications and advocacy strategies. In addition, we have numerous activities to share, both for the membership and the Technical Secretariat. Undoubtedly, the GAC is expanding and contributing to advancing the care agenda from the local to the global level.
Enjoy this shared experience!
|
|
|---|
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CARE AND SUPPORT
|
|
|
|
Commemoration in Mexico by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Inmujeres, United Nations Mexico, and the Global Alliance for Care
|
|
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Inmujeres, United Nations Mexico, and the Global Alliance for Care commemorated the first International Day of Care and Support. The meeting highlighted the importance of the care agenda and Mexico's actions to promote the recognition of the right to care.
The Interim Technical Secretary of the Global Alliance for Care, Emilienne De León, endorsed the importance of commemorating the International Day of Care and Support.
The event featured keynote presentations by Marta Lamas and María Ángeles Durán.
|
|
Celebration at the United Nations
|
|
|
The Global Alliance for Care participated in the first celebration of the “International Day of Care and Support” on October 31 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event was co-organized by ILO, the OHCHR, and UN Women in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Chile and Spain to the United Nations.
The program included dialogues that delved into the economic, social, and human rights advantages of robust care and support systems. The panel included the participation of various members of the Global Alliance for Care, including its co-conveners, the Government of Mexico, and UN Women, as well as the Technical Secretariat. It also explored the indispensable role of these systems in advancing women's empowerment and fostering equal participation in social, economic, political, and cultural spheres.
|
|
|
|
|
Launch of the
"Global Digital Community on Care"
|
The National Institute for Women (Inmujeres), in collaboration with UN Women Mexico, the Gender Justice and Development Programme of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), the International Development Centre of Canada (IDRC), and the Global Alliance for Care (GAC) launched the "Global Digital Community on Care" platform.
This site is a repository of care-related information produced by the GAC membership, including research, data, experiences, videos, laws, policies, advocacy strategies, and types of services from urban and rural areas, countries, regions, and sectors.
The Global Digital Community on Care aims to provide a diversity of resources that can be useful in advancing the care agenda, whether for the design and implementation of care policies and services or for analysis and research, as well as for the development of regional communication and advocacy strategies.
|
|
UNGA78
|
|
|
Moving towards a new Care paradigm through Collective Action
|
In the framework of UNGA 78, INMUJERES, UN Women, and the Global Alliance for Care co-convened a Side Event titled: "Moving towards a new Care paradigm through Collective Action" that sought to enable GAC members to explore strategies that address post-COVID-19 gender disparities and present how the Alliance highlights and amplifies their collective efforts to advance the care agenda. The event also underscored GAC's vital role in propelling gender equality and advancing the Sustainable Development Agenda.
The voices of several Management Committee members were heard in this high-level panel: The Government of México, UN Women, the Government of Argentina, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Huairou Commission, and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).
|
|
|
|
Building Evidence for Policy Action on the Care Economy
|
The Global Alliance for Care participated in the side event "Building evidence for policy action on the care economy", held on September 19 in the framework of the 78th United Nations General Assembly.
Co-convened by the National Institute for Women of Mexico (Inmujeres), the Government of Kenya, Oxfam Canada, the Global Alliance for Care, Data2X, and APCO Worldwide, this high-level discussion revolved around what is needed for a systems-level change in care policy globally, regionally, and nationally, including data generation. Convening civil society, multilaterals, and governments, this event provided a critical platform to discuss the importance of investing in care and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions as we approach the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The event led the audience to hear about paid and unpaid care, as well as about gaps and proposed solutions on how to address the problems in countries and regionally.
|
|
These initiatives are promoted by one or more members of the Global Alliance for Care. The Technical Secretariat of the Alliance has not participated or provided support in any of the processes of their organization. |
|
ELA's 20th anniversary. Congrats!
|
ELA – the Latin American Team for Justice and Gender – celebrated its 20th anniversary with the publication of a book that invites you to go through the main advances of women and society in Argentina through images and the voices of the protagonists. The photographs reflect about 20 years of progress for women and society.
Download ELA's book here.
Video of the celebration here.
|
|
|
Soy Working Mom! |
At Soy Working Mom! we continue working with companies and also with end users to generate wellness and share practices and tools for self-care to people who are in the stage of mo / fatherhood. In October we had an important milestone: the book "Soy Working Mom!, Little Stories from a Sleepless Mom".
|
|
|
|
The Simone de Beauvoir Leadership Institute (ILSB)
|
|
The Simone de Beauvoir Leadership Institute (ILSB) and the National Women's Institute (INMUJERES) are working together in two Mexican states. In Zapopan, Jalisco, in coordination with the Secretariat for Substantive Equality between Women and Men, and the General Coordination of Community Building of the municipality, they worked on a roadmap to put the gender perspective and the intersectoral and interinstitutional dimensions of the current local care system at the center.
The staff of the Gender Perspective Unit of the Government of Zapopan was also trained, and a Collaboration Agreement was signed with the Zapopan City Council to finance a pilot program of psychological care for caregivers called "Nos Toca Cuidar la Salud Mental" (It's Our Turn to Take Care of Mental Health).
In La Paz, Baja California Sur (Mexico), they are working on the construction of agreements for the political positioning of the caregiving agenda in the municipality. Together with the Municipal Women's Institute of La Paz (IMM), they carried out awareness-raising and training activities and ensured the institutional and legislative sustainability of initiatives on caregiving.
|
|
|
Women Win |
The FREE STEM Fund opened a new cycle of grantmaking applications.
"TIME & ACCESSIBILITY - Ensuring girls, women, transgender, and non-binary people” aims to provide direct grants to Registered and unregistered initiatives, groups, collectives, and organisations focused on the rights on girls, women, transgender and non-binary people, and has the logistical and infrastructural means to pursue opportunities in STEM.
More information here.
|
|
|
|
Catalonia
|
The General Directorate of Care, Time Organization, and Work Equity of the Ministry of Equality and Feminisms has created the Catalan Network for the Right to Time, comprised of key agents in Catalonia to guarantee the right to time for all citizens. In October, its First Annual General Meeting in the framework of the Tenth edition of Time Use Week (TUW) was held in Barcelona.
Researchers, political institutions, social organizations, and citizens from all over the world gathered to achieve a better social organization of time from their different fields of knowledge and experience. Experts such as Raquel Coello, from UN Women’s Office for the Americas and the Caribbean were among the participants.
You can retrieve all the contents of the TUW here.
|
|
|
|
Huairou Commission |
After the Global Grassroots Women Caregivers Summit our organization, MLAHRA (Kenya), a member of Huairou Commision, organized a feedback session with caregivers and other stakeholders to socialize and disseminate the call for action.
Since then, caregivers have been involved in different activities organized by the Government and partners, especially those that are related to health issues. We are also involved in identifying families and advocating for their access to government benefits. We are in the process of mapping older persons who qualify but are not yet enrolled in existing social protection programs run by the Government.
We have also been involved in the policy-making process where we are pushing for caregivers to be identified as community health workers.
|
|
The Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS)
|
The General Assembly of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS) approved in its Declaration 115 the recognition of care as a human right, the creation of care systems, and their incorporation as a social security benefit. It also shares a summary of reports and events organized.
Together with Documentación y Estudios de Mujeres, A.C. (DEMAC), presented the book: “The Invisible Life of Caregivers”, where the authors shared their experiences as caregivers, as well as the meaning of writing for them, knowing the testimonies of these women from their own voices.
At the XXIV International Meeting on Gender Statistics, organized by INEGI, Inmujeres, ECLAC, and UN Women, CISS presented a study of best practices that recognize care work as a way to access social security benefits in the region.
With the objective of guaranteeing access to justice for caregivers who have a double working day due to caregiving tasks, the Congress: Women's Double Working Day, organized by the Asociación Mexicana de Juzgadoras (Mexican Association of Women Judges). Click on the link to see the full participation of the CISS.
At the Permanent Seminar organized by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), the CISS shared the importance of recognizing caregiving as a public problem that must be treated with a rights-based approach.
|
|
Women Deliver
|
|
|
The Women Deliver 2023 Care Economy Pre-Conference took place on July 16, 2023, in Kigali, Rwanda. As a follow-up, this synopsis document captures the key insights, priorities, and recommendations that emerged from the event.
You can read more in this summary blog that is available here, and a recap video of the pre-conference is available here.
In addition, the project managers from the pre-conference, including the Center for Global Development, the ILO, WeProsper, Women Deliver, and The Asia Foundation, have developed resources celebrating the International Day of Care and Support and amplifying Insights from the WD23 Care Economy Pre-Conference.
In the coming months, pre-conference co-hosts and other partners like the Global Alliance for Care will be building on recommendations shared at the pre-conference to collectively develop a Global Roadmap for Action on the Care Economy.
|
|
Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity - Argentina
|
We succeeded in approving by consensus a new Resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council, entitled "The Centrality of Care and Support from a Human Rights Perspective" (A/HRC/54/L.6/Rev.1). Argentina's initiative had the support of a core-group composed of Spain, Mexico and Iceland. It also had the support of the following countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Northern Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland*, Uruguay and Uruguay.
This is a major breakthrough, as it is the first specific resolution on care from a human rights perspective, focusing on its impact on gender equality. In this way, it reaffirms the place of care within the human rights agenda, paving the way for its recognition as a human right. It establishes a mandate for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to create a thematic panel and a report compiling human rights standards.
|
|
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH CARE. A STORY. |
|
|---|
Jenny Valverde Gómez is a full-time caregiver. This is her testimony.
|
|
Jenny Valverde Gómez from MUDECI MUJERES,DEMOCRACIA Y CIUDADANIA A.C. (Mexico), member of Huairou Commission
|
In 2017 my mother was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and my life took a turn. It had been eight years since I had separated from my partner, and my children were still minors; at last, it seemed that, based on many efforts, I was beginning to have emotional and financial stability.
When my mother was diagnosed with COPD, she was living alone in her apartment; as her disease worsened, she began to be under the care of her sister, but the disease progressed quickly, and my aunt asked me to take care of her since she was an elderly person and it was difficult for her to take care of her. So, I brought my mother to live with me and my children in my home. At first, it seemed that her care would be simple; however, as the days went by, I realized that it required much more time, money, effort, and water from me.
The first big decision I had to make was to stop working since she required a lot of care, and I could not leave her alone or in the care of my sons and daughter because they went to school. In the beginning, my father supported me with the expenses; however, he died in 2021, and the economic situation became complicated for the whole family because I could not take a stable job because my mother was under my care.
The care of my mother is complicated on days when there is no water in my community since she requires a lot of cleaning, her personal hygiene must be done daily, cleaning and washing the oxygen hoses requires water, when the purchase of water is complicated, and the hoses are not washed she presents gastric problems.
That is why I have been involved in the fight for water in my community for several years. The lack of water represents an economic burden for the families of Ecatepec (Mexico) that is accentuated for those of us who are caring for sick people, as is the case of my mother.
I would like the State to guarantee our right to water; sick people and their families deserve it. It is part of our rights. I regularly think about sick people like my mother who have no one to take care of them, and I think about how difficult their life is. That is why it is also necessary that in our municipality, there are daycare centers for sick, elderly people; this will allow us, the people we care for, to have a little more time and opportunities for our personal development. Caring for my mother is to give back to her, something of how much she has done for me.
The immense burden of unpaid domestic and care work are factors that contribute to gender inequality, the implications of which directly affect women's lives because they have less time for, for example, learning, leisure, social and political participation, or personal care.
Women play a fundamental role in water management, water supply, and care. In communities such as Ecatepec, where it is estimated that more than one million people do not have access to water through the water network, caring for people and life itself is complicated.
The water distributed to more than 700 communities or neighborhoods is water of dubious origin, containing metals and dangerous substances that pose serious health risks. Some neighbors have been affected by gastrointestinal illnesses and severe dermatitis attributed to the ingestion of contaminated water; this especially affects sick people, the elderly, and children, who are more vulnerable to the effects of contaminated water.
For this reason, our organization Mujeres, Democracia y Ciudadanía A.C. (MUDECI) has been fighting for years to guarantee the human right to water and sanitation in Ecatepec, as a priority to provide care. Water is fundamental for care and health.
|
|
|
MORE NEWS FROM THE TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT |
|
|---|
Women Deliver 2023 Pre-Conference
|
Nadine Gasman, president of the National Institute for Women of Mexico, presented the Global Alliance of Care at the Women Deliver 2023 Pre-Conference on the Care Economy held in Kigali, Rwanda. The event elevated regional perspectives on care while specifically focusing on concrete, tangible actions for change and lifting up intersectional movements for care justice.
The Women Deliver 2023 Pre-Conference on the Care Economy was a collaboration across a consortium of partners. It was co-organized by Women Deliver, The Asia Foundation, the Center for Global Development, WeProsper Coalition, and the International Labour Organization, in partnership with the Cadmus Group, the Early Childhood Development Action Network, Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, FEMNET, the Global Alliance for Care, the Hilton Foundation, the International Development Research Centre, the International Rescue Committee, Municipality of Bogota, Moving Minds Alliance, Pro Mujer, Sonke Gender Justice, and the UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Office.
|
|
|
|
Forum on care in ASEAN countries |
The Global Alliance for Care was invited to Laos, to participate in the Regional Forum on Care Work in ASEAN countries. There, the GAC advocated for the importance of alliances to advance the care agenda worldwide.
The meeting was convened by The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), ASEAN, the Lao Women’s Union, and Oxfam.
|
|
|
|
|
Round table on care in Asia and the Pacific |
The Alliance was invited to the “Regional Care Roundtable: Investing in the Care Economy” in Manila, co-organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), ILO, UNDP, and UNRISD.
Mariana Winocur, Communications Officer, participated in the opening session, and presented the Alliance’s work to position the care agenda from the local to the global level.
|
|
APEC Economy Forum
|
The Global Alliance for Care was present at the “Second Meeting of the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy”, organized by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The meeting was held in Seattle, USA, on August 17th, where Emilienne de León, interim Technical Secretary, participated in the “Care Compact Dialogue”.
|
|
|
|
The 80th anniversary of the CISS
|
The Global Alliance for Care was invited to the Special Meeting of the General Assembly of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS), which celebrated the 80th anniversary of this regional body. In that framework, the CISS Assembly adopted a Resolution "On Universal Access to the full exercise of the Right to Social Security (renewing the commitment)".
In this context, the Interim Technical Secretary, Emilienne de León, celebrated on behalf of the Alliance that the CISS Resolution promotes the recognition of caregiving as a human right, which implies the right to care, to be cared for and to self-care.
More information here.
|
|
|
|
Towards a new Eco-Social contract |
The Alliance participated in the event “Research to Action—Global Policy Seminar for a New Eco-Social Contract”, jointly convened by UNRISD and the Green Economy Coalition (GEC), that took place in Bonn and online and brought together experts, policymakers, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to deliberate on the prospect and promise of new eco-social contracts for sustainable futures.
Sara Valdes, Programs Officer at the Global Alliance for Care, participated in a panel on the prospects and promises of new eco-social contracts for a sustainable future and a Care Society and highlighted the Alliance as a pivotal community for building a Care Society.
|
|
|
Caring for those who care
|
|
A new Dialogue on care was held as part of the "Care at the Center of New Development Models: Challenges and Opportunities for the Construction of Comprehensive Care Systems from the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean" series co-organized by the Global Alliance for Care, EU-LAC Foundation, INMUJERES, UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, and ECLAC.
The Fifth Dialogue revolved around “Caring for those who care: good practices and challenges of protection and decent conditions for caregivers in the EU and LAC” and took place on September 7.
|
|
|
Men’s Engagement in Caregiving |
Yara Tarabulsi, Outreach and Advocacy Officer of the Alliance, shared best practices of care policies that promote men’s engagement in the webinar “Men’s Engagement in Parenting and Caregiving: Assuming New Roles and Responsibilities for Healthier Families and Communities”, organized by the USAID Interagency Gender Working Group’s Male Engagement Task Force.
The webinar examined obstacles and supports men's increased participation in caregiving and shared recent research and programming around men’s engagement in parenting and caregiving globally.
|
|
|
Caregiving with equality |
|
Yara Tarabulsi, Outreach and Advocacy Officer of the Alliance participated in a panel and introductory workshopin the framework of the event "Caring with equality: the care agenda from global to local” was presented.
The event was organized by the Municipal Institute of Women of Oaxaca de Juárez and the Secretariat of Women of the State of Oaxaca.
|
|
|
Social risk or a pillar of the Welfare State?
|
Sara Valdes, Program Officer of the Alliance opened the “Care: A new social risk or fourth pillar of the Welfare State?” panel, organized by the CISS in co-organization with the Global Alliance for Care.
This seminar was the third and last round of the series "Care, New Social Risk or Fourth Pillar of the Welfare State? A Necessary Regional Debate" in the framework of the Permanent Seminar on Welfare in the Americas.
|
|
Community of Analysis
|
In July and September 2023, the fourth and fifth sessions of the Community of Analysis "Towards the effective exercise of the right to care in Latin America and the Caribbean" were held, convened by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Mexico, the Global Alliance for Care, INMUJERES and UN Women. The cases of Cuba and the Dominican Republic were presented, as well as those of Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively.
The purpose of the Community of Analysis is to identify the progress, contradictions, obstacles, resistance and gaps in the recognition and effective exercise of the right to care in this region, based on the analysis of national and subnational cases.
|
|
|
|
UCLG Decalogue
|
The World Organization of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) presented the Decalogue “Towards cities, governments and a multilateral system that cares for people, democracy and our planet", which presents a series of 10 coalitions in which UCLG participates together with other partners that are making a difference in multiplying policy changes and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.
The Decalogue includes the Global Alliance for Care (GAC) as an example of promoting the feminist agenda to ensure equal rights, empowering local communities, and prioritizing the well-being of people and the planet.
|
|
|
States and norms of care |
ODI, the international development research institute based in London, UK, developed a policy brief “Social Good, Shared Responsibility: How states can shift gender norms relating to care” on the occasion of International Day of Care and Support.
This brief outlines what government policy can do to foster more gender-equal norms relating to care. The policy brief invites Governments committed to establishing inclusive care policies and systems to join the Global Alliance for Care to work together in solidarity with actors striving for similar progressive shifts in gender norms around paid and unpaid care work.
|
|
The Management Committee of the Global Alliance for Care had its third meeting
|
During the meeting, the Technical Secretariat presented a report on activities and achievements between November 2022 and July 2023. These reports covered the Alliance's lines of work: advocacy, learning, communication, and internal operational issues.
In addition, the representatives of the organizations and governments that make up the Management Committee explored new lines of work for the 2023-2025 period.
|
|
The Inter-American Model Law on Care was presented to the Alliance’s Assembly
|
In March 2022, the Inter-American Commission of Women presented the Inter-American Model Law on Care, which considers key elements that already exist in international instruments and is based on existing standards on rights, non-discrimination, and equality between men and women, and aims to recognize, redistribute, regulate, and generate new forms of care and unpaid domestic work, as well as to make visible and recognize the historical contribution of women in this area.
In August, in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Care, the Inter-American Model Law on Care was presented to the Global Alliance for Care Assembly. On that occasion, its principles, provisions, and regulations were reviewed, as well as its contribution to the consideration of care as a human right and the role of the State as its guarantor.
|
|
The Alliance is expanding its virtual space
|
We developed a dedicated website with information on the Alliance's mission, vision, and objectives and news on events, press releases, and statements. To showcase the work of the Alliance to broad audiences around the world, we have opened social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn , and Youtube.
|
|
159 members!
|
It is with joy that we share the news of the expansion of the Alliance's work. To date there are already 159 members of this global community working together to advance the care agenda from the local to the global level.
|
|
|
21/11: Presentation of the Open Data Guide on Care: The cases of Buenos Aires City and Mexico City Indicator Systems. 4 pm (Buenos Aires time). Link to connect here.
|
|
|
|
