Within the framework of XVI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which took place from August 12 to 15 in Mexico City, Cooperatives of the Americas participated in the parallel event “Care Economy and Decent Work: Scenarios and Recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean”.
During the session the document was presented Care Economy and Decent Work: Scenarios and Recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean, prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). This report highlights the value of cooperatives and other social economy organizations as key tools for offering comprehensive, rights-based care systems: universal, supportive, progressive, intersectoral, and integrated, guaranteeing care as a social and labor right.
This issue becomes even more relevant in light of recent historic pronouncements by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which have recognized the care as a human right, reinforcing the urgency of developing public policies and regulatory frameworks that effectively guarantee this throughout the region.
At the panel, Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighted Cooperatives of the Americas as a key ally for the implementation and consolidation of care systems, thanks to the participation of cooperative enterprises. She also noted how the regional cooperative movement has been deepening the care agenda, recalling the event. Cooperatives promoting productivity and territorial development, held in Santiago, Chile, where the ILO organized a thematic workshop on care and decent workHe also referred to the upcoming official event for the International Year of Cooperatives: Care Economy and Society, which will take place in Panama from November 24 to 27, 2025.
For her part, María Noel Vaeza, Regional Director of UN Women, stated that “Cooperatives are fundamental to building national care agendas, because when we need to go to the territories, we go with cooperatives, companies rooted in the communities.”.
The Care Economy is a key theme in this International Year of Cooperatives
This event is part of the advocacy activities promoted by the Regional Committee of the Allied Parties for the International Year of Cooperatives.
In this context, Danilo Salerno, Regional Director, joined the discussion panel and, in his speech, highlighted cooperative experiences in the region around care and the social economy, such as the Project Houses of Joy and the Cooplin cooperative in Costa Rica; the program Neighbors, let's work together, carried out by USAID and UNDP with the participation of CONFECOOP in Colombia; the Sanatorio Americano in Uruguay; the cooperative United to Live Better (UPAVIM) and the Federation of Cooperatives of Verapaces (FEDECOVERA) in Guatemala; as well as the Soltrecha Cooperative (Solidaridad Trento Chaqueña) and the Mar del Plata Home Care Workers' Cooperative, both in Argentina.
He noted that these experiences demonstrate that we're not starting from scratch, but rather that there's already a path forward, with successful cases and lessons learned that can be scaled up to design public policies with a territorial, intersectional, and gender focus.
He also stressed that "Care cannot continue to be assumed as an individual or feminized responsibility, but rather requires a collective, supportive, and co-responsible response between the State, communities, the private sector, and also between men and women.".
This event was attended by the ILO, ECLAC, UN Women, UNDP, FAO, the governments of Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, as well as trade unions, business organizations, and cooperatives from across the region.
The participation of Cooperatives of the Americas in this event is part of the #coops4dev project, co-financed by the European Union, which aims to strengthen the role of cooperatives at all levels. The content, discussions, and results of this activity do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
