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 care work of mothers. We also call for the recognition, support and fairer distribution of this work.
The following is the full text of the statement we delivered at the UN during the discussion on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ vision to reinforce its work on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This discussion took place on 15th September 2023 as part of the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Make Mothers Matter welcomes OHCHR’s vision to reinforce its work on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. We agree that urgent action is needed to deliver these rights in line with the 2030 Agenda.
We regret however that the importance of care and the strengthening of care and support systems as a means to respect and advance the enjoyment of human rights for all, is absent from this vision.
To quote Sec General Guterres, ‘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.’
Strengthening care and support systems should be at the heart of such new models, which must be based on Human Rights and serve the wellbeing of both people and the planet.
This means recognizing the essential value of the unpaid and underpaid work of caring, whose inequitable distribution has been a driver of exclusion and discrimination for women and girls, in particular for mothers.
It also means supporting and redistributing this vital work more equitably, not only between men and women, but also across society.
Care connects to many if not all human rights, in particular economic, social and cultural rights. It concerns all of us. It is time to put care at the centre, and to frame care as a right: right to care and right to be cared for.
11.10.23
UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - Entitled ‘Centrality of care and support from a human rights perspective’, this landmark resolution was presented by the governments of Argentina, Iceland, Mexico
09.10.23
In June this year, the European Union (EU) Commission announced a new high-priority initiative to address the mental health of all Europeans.
13.02.24
UN New York, CSocD62 - MMM's intervention to the Commission on Social Development reiterates that investing in mothers through recognition, education, protection and adequate support is a smart invest
09.07.24
Mothers play an essential role in families by ensuring their loved ones are nourished, educated, and healthy, but their unpaid care work often leads to economic and social injustices, known as the motherhood pe
02.07.24
UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online at this year’s High Level Political Forum side-event.
20.06.24
UN Geneva, Human Rights Council - MMM was invited to contribute to a side-event organised by Widows Rights International to discuss the unique challenges faced by widows who are mothers, while continuing to sho
19.06.24
UN Geneva – A resolution aimed at strengthening the right to education in international legal instruments will be negotiated during the 56th session of the Human Rights Council, which began on 18 June. This r
16.06.24
UN Geneva, 112th International Labour Conference (ILC) – MMM contributed to the discussion on the International Labour Organisation Director General’s report calling for a new social contract.
16.06.24
UN Geneva – A general discussion on decent work and the care economy was on the agenda of the 112th International Labour Conference (ILC), which took place over the past two weeks. MMM was there, providing in