Important Facts of the News
- The United Nations General Assembly designated 29 October as the International Day of Care and Support in 2023.
- The United Nations in Nepal held a recognition event hosted by UN Women Nepal and ILO Nepal.
- The event celebrated care and support staff who ensure wellbeing in workplaces and communities.
- Efforts in Nepal include care costing studies, needs assessments, and community-based care model pilots.
- The global health and care workforce has one of the widest gender pay gaps, estimated at around 24 percent.
- Women in Nepal continue to take on most unpaid and low-paid care work, often informally.
- The event aligned with global developments such as CSW72 and ILO’s resolution on decent work in the care economy.
- Speakers emphasized recognition, regulation, and redistribution of care responsibilities.
- The UN Country Team in Nepal reaffirmed commitment to valuing its support personnel.
- The observance encouraged investing in care systems as part of sustainable and inclusive development efforts.
Care work sustains families, institutions, and communities by ensuring that individuals can live, learn, and work with dignity. Marking the International Day of Care and Support, the United Nations in Nepal brought together staff and representatives to acknowledge the people whose daily efforts contribute to collective wellbeing. The event was hosted by ILO Nepal and UN Women Nepal, reflecting ongoing initiatives to strengthen Nepal’s care economy.
Understanding the Role of Care in Society
The International Day of Care and Support was established to recognize care as a central component of social justice, sustainable development goals, and gender equality. In Nepal, the importance of care is deeply rooted in cultural values, yet the division of care responsibilities remains unequal, with women performing most unpaid and underpaid care-related work.
Several interventions have been undertaken in recent years to address this imbalance. Joint efforts by UN Women Nepal and ILO Nepal include assessments of care needs, costing studies, and community-based pilot models. These initiatives aim to reduce unpaid care burdens and create pathways for women’s equitable participation in economic activity.
Highlighting the Gender Gap in Care Work
Despite the critical nature of care services, the sector remains undervalued, and wage disparities persist. According to data referenced at the event, women in the global health and care sectors earn significantly less than men, with an estimated pay gap of around 24 percent. This disparity is among the highest across professions and reflects broader structural inequalities.
Voices from the Event
Speakers at the gathering emphasized both recognition and reform. They pointed to the need for improved regulation of care work, greater public investment, and better distribution of care responsibilities across households, institutions, and systems. The UN Country Team also expressed appreciation for the personnel who maintain essential services within the UN House, including clinical staff, counsellors, security teams, and cleaning workers.
A Call to Strengthen Care Systems
This observance served as a collective reminder to treat care as essential social infrastructure. Strengthening care systems is not only about building support networks but also about advancing dignity, rights, and equality. The initiative aligns with broader efforts, including the Empowered Women Prosperous Nepal Programme, which works toward gender-equitable development.