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| Global Alliance for the Care Economy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Alliance for the Care Economy |
| Formation | 2019 |
| Type | International coalition |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Leader title | Convenor |
| Leader name | José Antonio Ocampo |
Global Alliance for the Care Economy is an international coalition convened to advance investment, policy reform, and data for care work and care workers. Founded amid global debates involving United Nations agencies, World Bank research, and civil society mobilizations such as International Labour Organization campaigns, the Alliance positions care as central to social policy and development. It operates at the intersection of multilateral diplomacy exemplified by United Nations General Assembly deliberations, feminist advocacy like Women Deliver conferences, and economic policy forums including the G20 and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The Alliance emerged from discussions involving actors such as United Nations Development Programme, UN Women, and the International Labour Organization, building on reports by the World Health Organization and research from the Brookings Institution and Overseas Development Institute. High-profile events influencing formation included the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action follow-ups, policy dialogues at Davos hosted by the World Economic Forum, and regional convenings by the African Union and ECLAC. Founding participants included trade unions tied to the International Trade Union Confederation, NGOs like Oxfam and CARE International, academic centers such as the London School of Economics and Harvard Kennedy School, and philanthropic actors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Alliance's core mission aligns with agendas advanced at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, aiming to advance care through public investment, labour rights, and statistical innovation. Objectives mirror policy priorities articulated by the ILO Centenary Declaration and echo recommendations from the WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: to expand publicly financed care services, formalize care work under standards akin to International Labour Organization Conventions and to promote gender-responsive budgeting used by institutions such as the European Commission and national treasuries including Ministry of Finance (Brazil) initiatives. The Alliance also seeks to integrate care into planning instruments used by the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank.
Governance draws on models practiced by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Global Partnership for Education, featuring a steering group including representatives from UN Women, the ILO, the World Bank, trade union federations like the Public Services International, and networks such as Make Mothers Matter. Membership spans national governments—for example, initiatives led by the Government of Spain and Government of Mexico—alongside municipal actors such as the City of Buenos Aires and New York City. Academic partners include University of Oxford and Columbia University, while civil society includes organizations like HelpAge International and Doctors Without Borders. Advisory panels have included economists from International Development Research Centre and activists connected to Global Fund for Women.
Programs reflect practices from successful global initiatives like the COVAX Facility and the Sustainable Development Goals Fund. Initiatives include cross-national data harmonization inspired by the Demographic and Health Surveys Program and the International Household Survey Network, pilot public care services modeled on municipal programs in Barcelona and Seoul, and workforce formalization projects influenced by Brazil's Bolsa Família conditionality debates and South Africa's social policy reforms. Capacity-building draws on training frameworks used by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and program evaluation methodologies from the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation.
Advocacy channels mirror those of the Global Campaign for Education and the Global Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, engaging with policy instruments at the United Nations Economic and Social Council and national legislatures influenced by cases like the Care Workers Convention deliberations at the ILO Conference. The Alliance has contributed to policy shifts in several countries by supporting gender-responsive budgeting pilots similar to reforms in Rwanda and Sweden, and by informing care-related language in communiqués from the G7 and G20 summits. Its research collaborations have been cited in reports produced by the OECD and the World Bank that feed into fiscal debates at the International Monetary Fund.
Financing combines models from multilateral funds such as the Green Climate Fund and bilateral mechanisms exemplified by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office grants. Major partners include the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, national development agencies like USAID and DFID, and philanthropic actors such as the Rockefeller Foundation. Implementation partnerships echo consortia approaches used by UNICEF and private sector engagements like those facilitated by Business for Social Responsibility with corporations headquartered in hubs such as Silicon Valley and Zurich.
The Alliance has been praised by advocates associated with Equality Now and researchers at institutions like The Brookings Institution for elevating care in global policy agendas, drawing comparisons to normative shifts prompted by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Critics from think tanks such as the Cato Institute and commentators within The Economist have questioned financing modalities and potential overlaps with existing institutions like the World Bank and ILO, while some labor federations including factions within the International Trade Union Confederation argue for stronger enforcement mechanisms akin to binding treaties like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Debates continue in forums such as the UN Commission on Social Development and among scholars at American University and Johns Hopkins University.
Category:International nonprofit organizations