Why Asia-Pacific should care about care

Care infrastructure is the next frontier development solution across the region

October 28, 2025

Across Asia and the Pacific, millions of women and men engage in care work—both paid and unpaid—shaping the health, resilience, and prosperity of families, communities, and economies. Yet women perform four times more unpaid care work than men, accounting for over 75% of all unpaid care globally, while paid care workers often lack recognition, fair wages, and social protection.

“Care services are like arteries carrying oxygen to all parts of the economy" says Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “In a region where unpaid care work falls very heavily on women, it is not enough to recognize their effort; it must be given its full value and investment. With aging and urbanization accelerating together, adequate care infrastructure becomes a frontier development solution we can no longer take for granted or ignore.”

Monetizing women’s unpaid care and domestic work could add $3.8 trillion to the Asia-Pacific economy. Investing in care services and filling current care work vacancies could create nearly 300 million jobs across the region.

Yet, for the care economy to truly deliver on its promise, these jobs must be decent—offering fair wages, safe conditions, and access to social protection. As Asia-Pacific hosts the world’s largest informal workforce, linking care jobs to social protection systems is vital for improving job quality, ensuring economic security, and supporting inclusive, sustainable growth.

As countries strive for gender equality and inclusive growth, innovative initiatives, with UNDP’s support, are emerging to transform care work into a driver of empowerment, dignity, and resilience.

India: Piloting Affordable Childcare for Urban Low-Income Families

In India, unpaid care work continues to limit women’s participation in the labor force—especially in low-income urban communities. UNDP is piloting affordable, accessible, and quality childcare models. These include community-based centres, aggregated workplace-based centres in MSME industrial clusters, and entrepreneurship-led “carepreneurship” models. The pilots are supported through public–private partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms to strengthen the urban care ecosystem.

With partners like Genesis Analytics and Dalberg Advisors, UNDP is currently conducting innovative financing and landscape assessments to identify barriers and opportunities for scaling non-government childcare provision. The initiative also includes nationally certified job roles—such as crèche managers and care entrepreneurs—through the Health Sector Skill Council, helping professionalize the care workforce.

These interventions will be enabling women to transition from unpaid care to formal employment, while improving access to quality childcare. UNDP’s leadership in convening national consultations and launching the Childcare Coalition for Urban India reflects its commitment to systemic change.

Malaysia: Transforming Care from a Private Matter to Public Agenda

Malaysia is undergoing a rapid demographic shift, with the share of people aged 65 and above expected to rise from 8.1% in 2024 to 14.5% by 2040. Thanks to advances in healthcare and nutrition, Malaysians are living longer, and older persons are now the fastest-growing group in the country. However, without a corresponding increase in the working-age population, this presents a significant challenge: Malaysia—and ASEAN as a whole—are ageing nearly twice as fast as advanced economies. In just 36 years, ASEAN is projected to experience the same demographic transformation that took OECD countries more than seven decades to achieve.

Amid the dual pressures of rapid ageing and rising care needs, there is growing recognition that the current reliance on informal care arrangements is unsustainable. In response, Malaysia has introduced a series of interventions to strengthen its national care ecosystem. In 2023, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, UNDP published the report “Enabling Investments into the Malaysian Care Economy” which provides an in-depth analysis of Malaysia’s care landscape and makes a strong case for recognizing care as essential social and economic infrastructure, rather than simply a form of welfare.

UNDP is now providing technical advice for the development of the Malaysia Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan (2026–2030)—the first of its kind in the country, to be launched in November 2025. The next phase of collaboration, which will include the development of Malaysia’s first pilot community care model.

Bangladesh: Empowering Women Through Climate-Resilient Livelihoods

In Bangladesh, climate change has intensified the burden of unpaid care—especially for women in rural and climate-stressed communities. With water sources drying up and food insecurity rising, women spend more hours fetching water and caring for families.

To address this, UNDP and UNCDF have supported 29 upazilas to implement 82 nature-based solutions, including rainwater harvesting and solar irrigation. These interventions have directly benefited over 65,000 people—36,700 of them women—by improving access to water and food.

More than 42,000 households have adopted climate-resilient livelihood practices, from raising drought-tolerant crops to engaging in eco-entrepreneurship. By integrating the National Adaptation Plan into local action, these efforts are creating real opportunities for women to lead and benefit from sustainable development.

“Now, I have more time for my children while earning an income from our new vegetable garden,” shared one local beneficiary.

Nepal: Providing Income and Dignity Through the Prayash Initiative

In Nepal, the COVID-19 pandemic deepened existing inequalities, leaving women from marginalized communities—especially single mothers, women with disabilities, and daily wage earners—without income or food security. Through a joint initiative by UNDP, UN Women, Rastriya Banijya Bank, and Pokhara University, temporary basic income support helped these women recover their livelihoods, sustain their families, and rebuild their sense of dignity amid crisis.

Under UNDP’s Prayash project, more than 2,350 women from marginalized communities have secured and sustained new livelihoods. The initiative not only met their immediate needs but also provided financial literacy and pathways toward lasting economic resilience.

By integrating social protection with economic inclusion, Prayash has helped women regain financial independence while continuing to care for their families. The project forms part of UNDP’s broader Equanomics agenda, promoting feminist economic transformation through expanded care systems and gender-responsive fiscal policies.

Mongolia: Advancing Gender Equality Through Care Policy Reform

In Mongolia, women perform four times more unpaid care work than men, limiting their access to formal employment. UNDP-supported research has highlighted structural and cultural barriers such as inadequate childcare infrastructure, limited parental leave, and lack of recognition for unpaid care.

In response, UNDP has supported legislative reforms to integrate gender equality and care considerations into the Law on Employment Promotion and the Law on Education. Market assessments are also underway to evaluate care service gaps and explore blended finance solutions for children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

These efforts aim to shift care responsibilities from households to public systems—ensuring care work is recognized, redistributed, and supported through policy and investment.

Pakistan: Legal Support for Marginalized Care Workers

In Pakistan, women, transgender persons, and people living with HIV often face stigma and discrimination that limit their access to paid care work and social protection. Many are primary caregivers without legal rights or support.

UNDP’s Access to Justice initiative, launched under the Global Fund’s HIV Project, has reached 10,000 individuals through community sessions and legal aid visits. Over 400 meetings with lawyers, health providers, and social welfare networks have created a robust referral system linking legal aid with healthcare, shelter, and social protection.

“With UNDP’s legal support, I understood my rights, left that toxic environment, and began rebuilding my life—for myself and my children,” shared Gulshan Tayyabah, a mother of three.

Maldives: Youth Peer Education to Prevent Gender-Based Violence

In the Maldives, unpaid care work is closely tied to social norms around gender and relationships. To address this, UNDP Maldives and the Ministry of Social and Family Development launched the Eku’ Ekee (“Together”) Youth Peer Education Programme—the first of its kind to tackle domestic and gender-based violence through peer education.

Sixteen young people, including those with hearing disabilities, participated in a five-day training to promote safe and respectful relationships. By fostering open communication and challenging harmful norms, the initiative aims to reduce the burden of unpaid care on women and girls.

“The training was eye-opening and life-changing,” said one participant.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Despite these promising initiatives, challenges remain. Social policies are evolving, but gaps persist in recognizing, reducing, and redistributing care responsibilities. Innovative approaches—such as integrating carepreneurship into climate adaptation, legal empowerment, youth education, and community-led livelihoods—are showing the way forward.

By centering care in social policies and investing in women’s leadership, Asia-Pacific countries can unlock the full potential of care work as a foundation for gender equality and sustainable development.