Webinar: Trends in Care Economy Policies in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries

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Summary

The Care Economy — including childcare, eldercare and domestic work — is vital to society, yet it remains invisible, undervalued, and unevenly distributed. The disproportionate share of care and domestic work that falls on women and girls, especially when it is unpaid, is a key barrier to their participation in the workforce and negatively impacts business performance and overall economic growth.

Date and time: 16th May 2024, 3-4:30pm CEST
Location: Online
Languages: English and French through simultaneous interpretation.

The objective of this webinar is to raise awareness of the importance of Care Economy policies and particularly those related to childcare and parental support and explore challenges faced by governments and business associations in implementing responsive policies.

This interactive webinar will present the key findings from the ICReport “Business Environment Reforms and the Care Economy: The Case of Childcare and Parental Leave Policies”. This report explores trends, gaps, and replicable policies and practices that have improved Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and have created an enabling and favorable business and investment environment in ACP countries. The research shows that while there is increasing attention to the uneven distribution of care work and the impact it has on the economy, few governments in (either the global North or) global South have made significant progress in implementing holistic care policies.

Agenda and Panelists

Dr. Isata Mahoi🡪 Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Sierra Leone
Dr. Leva Rouhani🡪 Principal Writer of the ICReport ‘Business Environment Reforms & Care Economy’
Hannelore Niesten 🡪 Consultant, Women, Business and the Law, the World Bank
Janey Joseph🡪Director, Department of Gender Relations, Saint Lucia
Asayya Imaya🡪Convenor, Collaborative Action for Childcare Kenya & Founder and CEO, Uthabiti Africa

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By supporting business climate and investment environment reforms, the ICR Facility aims to help generate more decent jobs and contribute to improving livelihoods in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

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