The Timor-Leste National Consultation on Valuing and Investing in the Care Economy was jointly convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Secretary of State for Equality (SEI) of Timor-Leste, and UN Women.
Building on the outcomes of the Kickoff Workshop held on 26 June 2025, this consultation marked a key milestone in advancing national dialogue, coordination, and action on the care economy. It brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders, from government ministries and civil society to the private sector, development partners, and the UN Country Team, to explore gender-responsive policy solutions that recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care and domestic work.
Structured over three days, the Consultation featured high-level panels, bilateral discussions, and interactive workshops. Participants applied the Model Framework for Policy Action on the Care Economy (MFA) to identify sector-specific entry points and policy gaps, and to co-develop actionable recommendations for a national care policy framework.
The Consultation served as an inclusive platform to:
- Strengthen national awareness and shared understanding of the care economy, its significance for sustainable development, gender equality, and women’s economic empowerment in Timor-Leste;
- Explore practical policy entry points across key sectors to recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care and domestic work and address structural barriers to gender equality;
- Apply the Model Framework for Policy Action on Care Economy (MFA) to support the identification of care policy gaps and development of gender-transformative, evidence-based interventions;
- Build strategic partnerships and foster coordinated action among government, civil society, and development partners to support long-term investment in care services, infrastructure, and protections aligned with national development goals and the Maubisse Declaration (2023-2028).
The Consultation also drew on insights from the draft Timor-Leste Case Study on Unpaid Care and Domestic Work, developed in collaboration with ESCAP and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), and featured the use of ESCAP’s Care Economy Induction Modules to strengthen foundational knowledge among participants.
A key feature of the event was the active engagement of the Working Group on Care, officially launched during the Kickoff Workshop, which played a central role in facilitating technical discussions and aligning sectoral priorities. Structured over three days, the Consultation featured high-level sessions, bilateral discussions with key ministries, and interactive workshops to map synergies, identify policy gaps, and shape a shared roadmap for action. The outcomes resulted in the identification of entry points for policy action on the care economy in Timor-Leste.