The Care Economy encompasses paid and unpaid, direct and indirect care work, undertaken within and outside households across the public and private sectors, and includes care workers, care recipients, employers and the institutions providing care services.

In line with the 2024 International Labour Conference Resolution concerning Decent Work and the Care Economy and the ILO’s 5R Framework, South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) can help countries advance integrated and coherent care policies by promoting the recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care work and the reward and representation of paid care workers.

Through peer learning, policy dialogue and the exchange and adaptation of practices among countries facing comparable demographic, social and labour-market challenges, SSTC can strengthen the capacity of governments and employers’ and workers’ organizations to develop adequately financed, gender-responsive and rights-based care systems grounded in international labour standards and social dialogue. It can also facilitate cooperation on skills development, professionalization, social protection, formalization and the creation of decent employment in the care economy, while enabling approaches developed in the Global South to inform regional and global policy debates.

The South4Care initiative operationalizes this approach through a digital knowledge platform and regional learning hubs that connect constituents and partners, document illustrative practices and support the adaptation and replication of effective care policies across countries and regions. The 2025 South4Care edition was launched in Doha, and had a regional / global focus. The 2026-2027 South4Care and Care Economy edition focusing on Asia-Pacific is strengthening exchanges among ASEAN, Pacific Island countries, BRICS partners and other regions, while linking evidence, capacity development and policy innovation to the implementation of the ILO Care Economy Plan of Action.