MMM applauds the Care resolution adopted by the Commission on Social Development

18.02.24

UN New York, CSocD62 - The title of the resolution, “Promoting care and support systems for social development”, makes it clear that Care and Support are directly linked to the three core themes of social development, namely: poverty eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social integration. While these three central themes are particularly relevant for women, especially mothers, the resolution shifts the issue beyond gender equality.

The resolution reminds Member States that it is their responsibility to “foster a care society in which all receive the care they need, promoting their rights and well-being, based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination, access to basic social services and promotion of the active participation of every member of society as well as a collective responsibility, involving individuals, families, communities, States and the private sector” – something we at MMM have repeatedly called for in various UN fora.

Conversely, the resolution also “recognises that both paid and unpaid care and support work benefits societies, economies, families and individuals alike” – yet one more key point we have consistently raised in our advocacy: investing in support for mothers and other caregivers benefits everyone.

As an active member of the advocacy group of the NGO Committee on Social Development, MMM was able to provide input in the course of the negotiations. We are in particular delighted that our suggestion to use agreed language from the October 2023 Human Rights Council resolution to add a paragraph on parents was taken up. The new Care resolution acknowledges that “States should render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities […|”, noting that “children’s development depends on the existence of, and access to, a set of adequate family-oriented, community and State care policies”.

We are also gratified that the new resolution specifically refers to “working mothers” when talking about the need to adopt measures to reduce, redistribute and value unpaid care and domestic work. The use of the word ‘mother’ is unfortunately very rare in the UN context, so this was a hugely welcome addition and one that we wholeheartedly endorse.

Like the other two resolutions on Care which were adopted by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council in 2023, this new resolution is the result of an initiative led by countries of the Latin America region (namely Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico and Paraguay), with other supporting Member States from other regions joining in the course of the negotiations.

The draft resolution on Promoting care and support systems for social development was adopted by consensus during the closing session of the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Social Development

Full text of the resolution for download (UN ref. E/RES/2024/4)

 

Most read articles

Envisioning care as a common thread to global crises

29.07.24

UN New York - Our virtual HLPF side-event brought together experts to shed light on how the various global crises we face (in particular climate change and other environmental crises,

Lire plus

We call for multi-stakeholder approach to recognise and support unpaid care work

21.07.24

UN New York - Participating in the meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on care and support systems, MMM reaffirmed the principle of co-responsibility, which should underpin

Lire plus

The New EU Gender Equality Roadmap : A Call for Inclusion of Mothers

04.03.25

The European Commission’s initiative on a new Gender Equality Roadmap post-2025, marks a significant step forward in addressing gender disparities across the European Union. Make Mothers Matter (MMM

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

Latest News from MMM and its Network

Joint Letter to EU Leaders: MMM and Partners Advocate for Strategic Investment in Children and Families

09.07.25

Make Mothers Matter, along with 24 member organisations of the Alliance for Investing in Children, has sent a joint letter to Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Roberta Metsola (Presid

Read more

Unpaid Care at the Core: A Catalyst for Achieving the SDGs

06.07.25

UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online for our High Level Political Forum side-event.

Read more

Placing Target 5.4 at the Core: A Key to Accelerating SDG Synergies

06.07.25

UN New York – Ahead of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) MMM's written statement focuses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on Gender equality, which is under review this year. More specifically

Read more

Financing for development: time to invest in Care and Wellbeing

06.07.25

From 30 June to 3 July, Make Mothers Matter was in Sevilla, Spain, for the 4th UN International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Here’s a look back at this major UN event and the key takeaways

Read more

Financing for development matters for mothers

05.07.25

Following the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Sevilla, Spain, we explore why Financing for Development is critical for mothers around the world.

Read more

Belgian Mothers Face Alarming Rates of Burnout and Perinatal Depression, New EU Survey Finds

03.07.25

Belgian mothers are facing a mental health crisis. According to the State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 survey by Make Mothers Matter (MMM) and Kantar, Belgium reports the highest rates of both maternal burnout

Read more