The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a new global initiative, South-4-Care, aimed at strengthening decent work in the care economy via South–South and Triangular Cooperation. The platform will feature a Knowledge Hub hosted on the ILO Global Care Policy Portal and a biennial Learning Hub delivered through ITC-ILO, with the first programme convened in September 2025 with participants from around 30 countries.
Decent Work, as defined by the ILO, means productive employment with rights, social protection, and dignity for all workers - not just jobs, but quality employment that ensures fairness, security, and dialogue.
Through policy innovation exchange and capacity building, South-4-Care will address challenges like underfunding, informality of care jobs, and lack of regulation. For India, where unpaid and informal care work disproportionately involves women, the platform offers comparative models and tools that could strengthen labour protections, financing mechanisms, and recognition of care work.
The initiative is significant because it links global cooperation to local reforms in the care economy, providing India an opportunity to align labour law, social protection, and women’s empowerment strategies with international best practice.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can India leverage South-4-Care cooperation to reform policy, financing, and institutional frameworks so that care workers (both paid and unpaid) are protected, fairly compensated, and supported at scale?
Follow the full news here:
https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/new-south4care-platform-launched-advance-decent-work-care-economy
