Care – and mothers – must be at the center of systemic changes to our economy

15.09.20

UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - During the discussion on the impact of Covid-19 on Human Rights, MMM echoes the UN SG on the importance of Care, and calls on governments to move towards a more caring economic model.

“The pandemic has shown us who is doing the work that really matters: nurses, teachers, care workers. As we recover, we need to remember this. It is time to end the inequities of unpaid care work and create new economic models that work for everyone”
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General,
Town Hall with Young Women from Civil Society Organizations on 31 August 2020

We at MMM fully agree but place MOTHERS alongside teachers, nurses and care workers. Mothers have also played a key role in keeping their children, families and communities together.

The crisis has shown what really matters: It has all been about care and education, and the people performing these duties. Whether paid or unpaid, they must be better recognized and supported

The Covid-19 crisis gives us a unique opportunity to “build back better” and it starts with our economy. We MUST move away from an economy that prioritizes GDP growth and profit-making over the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Instead we must design a new caring economic model that values, recognizes and enables the conditions for us all to care and be cared for.

A few governments have started to move to a “wellbeing economy” and are showing us the way.

We call on the UN and member States to support such a shift by establishing a new platform to discuss indicators to replace GDP and to drive us towards a caring new economic model.

MMM Oral Statement for download

Karen Thorsen delivered this statement on behalf of MMM on 15 September during the General Debate on Item 2 of the 45th Session of the Human Rights Council.

 

Most read articles

Leave no single mother Behind: solutions from across the world

05.02.23

UN New York, CSocD61 - The virtual event we are organizing as part of the 2023 UN Commission on Social Development will draw attention to the specificity of the situation

Lire plus

Women at the peace table: international Conference

14.04.23

Make Mothers Matter, together with the city of Ypres, and its grass roots partners Mothers for Peace, Mama Kivu and the Vrouwenraad, is organizing an international peace Conference Women at

Lire plus

Making the case for Gender Equal Parenting: Vital for Early Childhood Development and a transformative tomorrow

04.10.22

At MMM, we believe that sharing the invisible work of caring and educating children more equitably is a quadruple win: essential for early child development (ECD), beneficial for both men

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

La protection sociale universelle, une nécessité pour les parents, les enfants et l’avenir

22.09.23

ONU Genève, Conseil des droits de l'homme - MMM soutient la vision et les recommandations du HCDH sur les droits de l'enfant et la protection sociale inclusive présentées au Conseil. Notre déclaration orale

Read more

Care central to the realisation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

21.09.23

UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - As OHCHR seeks to reinforce its work on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, MMM highlights the centrality of Care to the realisation of these rights, in particular the unpaid

Read more

Care experts agree: redistribution key to achieving Gender Equality

17.09.23

Redistributing care work was a central topic at a wide-ranging discussion recently hosted by Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Network and the Women 20 (W20) organization.

Read more

Mothers at the forefront of achieving the SDGs

13.09.23

18-19 September 2023 sees the convening of the SDG Summit taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York. Here at MMM, we believe it is time to re-commit and put mothers at the centre of our efforts to realize

Read more

Addressing SDGs 3&4 through Emotional Intelligence

08.09.23

On the eve of the SDG Summit 2030, we at Make Mothers Matter draw attention to the topic of Emotional intelligence, often overlooked in educational systems, which we believe is essential for healthy relationshi

Read more

Why mothers?

07.09.23

MMM Network Coordinator Sarah Krimi has been talking to many of our grass roots members, to get to know them better and to understand why mothers matter to their work. As Benoît Bichon, President & Founder of

Read more