Prioritising care, powering economies: a G20 agenda for inclusive growth and women’s empowerment

Abstract

Care is central to human, social, economic, and environmental development, and essential for society to live, thrive, and grow. The care economy—spanning education, childcare, support for people with disabilities and elder care, domestic work, and health and other social services—is described by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as comprising paid and unpaid care work, direct and indirect care, its provision within and outside the household, the people who provide and receive care, and the employers and institutions offering care (ILO, 2024). The ILO’s 5R Framework for Decent Care Work (Addati et al, 2018) in Figure 1 provides a comprehensive perspective on care: to recognize, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work, reward paid care with decent work for care workers, and guarantee care workers’ representation, social dialogue, and collective bargaining. This framework must be supported, paired with an approach grounded in human rights, equality, and non-discrimination, where care is seen both as a universal right and as a public good (United Nations [UN], 2024; UN Human Rights Council, 2025). Such an approach emphasizes co-responsibility across society, with the State as the duty-bearer, and through this, care and support systems become more inclusive and resilient, particularly in the face of global challenges, such as climate change, humanitarian and economic crises, and pandemics