The rhythmic beat of victory drums and sustained applause filled the conference room in Bangkok as care champions from across Asia and the Pacific stepped forward to receive recognition for their pioneering work in building inclusive and sustainable care systems.
“Think of an iceberg,” explains Hyeshin Park from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “What we see on the surface, like the gender pay gaps or under representation of women in leadership roles is just the tip of the iceberg.”
The care champions that walked the halls of ESCAP on this rare, cool Bangkok morning work to uncover the hidden barriers that sustain these inequalities: a critical one being the lack of recognition of unpaid and underpaid care work.
A Crucial Moment for Care
The 2024 Asia-Pacific Care Champions event on the third day of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review brought together these pivotal changemakers from across the region. The event was organized by ESCAP and UN Women, with support from the Global Alliance for Care and in collaboration with Oxfam and the World Bank.
The timing could not be more significant. As we approach the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action - the world's key commitment to women's rights and gender equality - the region faces unprecedented challenges in care work. With ageing populations, shifting demographics, and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for robust, inclusive care systems has never been more pressing.
The numbers tell a compelling story: Asia and the Pacific has the world's largest care workforce, with about 1.3 billion people working informally out of 2 billion worldwide. In households across Asia and the Pacific, women spend 2-5 times more time on unpaid care and domestic work than men--effectively having a second workday without recognition or pay. While often invisible, the contribution of care to the region is invaluable. Estimates reveal that including unpaid care work in GDP measurements could add US$3.8 trillion to the regional economy.
Care Champions Leading the Way
Ermelita V. Valdeavilla, Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women, one of the care champions recognized for pioneering work in care, shared how the fight to recognize care work is a personal one: “When I was a child, I produced charcoal from coconut shells so that I could have something for the flat iron as we didn’t have electricity. I went to the river, very far from my place, to do laundry.”
She explained how a focus on the care economy has helped transform the lives of several women with something as simple as a rice cooker: “It is a magical experience, because they can just leave the pot and it's not going to burn. Because of this, I can do other things, they said, almost like getting back two hours that would otherwise be lost doing housework.”
Everyone has a story to share, and at the event, these stories found a platform as the champions received recognition for their initiatives that have made outstanding contributions to the care economy under five different categories: policy powerhouses, care innovators, champions for change, knowledge catalysts and partnership architects.
Expanding the focus of care work from women and girls, Oxfam Pilipinas’ Lan Mercado shared a campaign where the organization took to social media to urge women to “Flex your Husband”: “Families would put up pictures and stories of men who have started shifting gender norms at home, taking on more of the care responsibilities.”
“The aim was to start modeling positive norms, particularly with young men who are now recognizing that there's no shame in doing household chores, and by so doing, they can present themselves as models for other men and demonstrate that masculinity can also be exercised in support of women,” she explained.
Visa Foundation and Dharma Life were recognized for their groundbreaking work in care entrepreneurship. Their innovative programme features integrated care centres that serve a dual purpose: providing skills training for women while offering pre-school services for children. Similarly, Bangkok-based FamBear supports gender equality and empowers women by providing well-paying care jobs, caregiver training and connects families with essential care services through their tech platform.
Celebrating Through Culture
Thai victory drummers, choir performances, and traditional dance brought vibrant cultural energy to the ceremonies, embodying the spirit of celebration and change. Right outside the conference room, as participants gathered under #Beijing30 banners, their unified vision was clear: turning the invisible into the invaluable by placing care at the centre of a fairer and more prosperous future for all.
From Recognition to Action
The celebration of these care champions marked not an endpoint but a beginning as the global community gets ready to gather to review the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and rethink how to accelerate progress towards creating a just world for women and girls.
“This award means a whole lot to us at both professional and personal level,” says Amuda Mishra from the Asia Feminist Coalition “At the organizational level, it means we will be able to amplify the Asian voices and bring the narratives of women and non binary individuals or those who are involved in care task force from the grassroots.”
“At a personal level, as someone who has been in involved with care work her entire life, it means being valued, seen and heard,” she adds.
Explore the complete list of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Care Champions in our online brochure here.
