What is the International Day of Care and Support?
Every 29 October, people, organizations, communities, governments, and institutions around the world come together to recognize the value of care and support and call for more just, inclusive, and sustainable societies.
What It Is · History · Why Care Matters · Frequently Asked Questions
What It Is
The International Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of care and support and their contribution to achieving gender equality and sustaining our societies and economies. It also seeks to highlight the urgent need to invest in a resilient and inclusive care economy, including the development of strong and sustainable care and support systems.
History
On 24 July 2023, the United Nations adopted resolution A/RES/77/317, proclaiming 29 October as the International Day of Care and Support. Through this resolution, all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, other international, regional and subregional organizations, as well as a wide range of stakeholders—including civil society, the private sector, academia and individuals—are invited to commemorate the Day every year.
The membership of the Global Alliance for Care identified the Day in its 2025–2030 Strategic Priorities as one of the most important moments for advocacy and mobilization around the global care agenda. Every 29 October offers a unique opportunity to generate meaningful impact by highlighting the central role of care and support in our societies.
Why Care Matters
Care and support are part of everyone’s daily life, and include the activities needed to ensure people’s physical, economic and emotional well-being. They include direct, personal and relational care—such as feeding a baby or caring for someone who is ill—as well as the indirect tasks that make care possible, including cooking, cleaning and managing a household.
Despite its importance, the social and economic value of care remains insufficiently recognized. Much of this work remains invisible, is performed without pay or under precarious working conditions, and falls disproportionately on women and girls. This unequal distribution creates time poverty and limits their opportunities for education, employment, rest, self-care and social participation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Care?
Care work involves activities that contribute to people’s physical, economic and emotional well-being in their daily lives.
It includes both direct, personal and relational care activities, such as feeding a baby or accompanying or caring for someone who is ill, and indirect care activities, including cooking, cleaning and carrying out other tasks that make care possible.
Why Do We All Need Care?
Care responds to well-being needs that arise throughout people’s lives and may vary depending on their circumstances and stage of life. We all need care and support at different moments and under different circumstances in our lives, although our needs, the ways in which we receive care and the people who provide it may differ.
Why Does Care Remain Invisible and Unequally Distributed?
Although care is indispensable, a significant proportion of this work is performed without pay and remains insufficiently recognized. Paid care workers may also face precarious working conditions.
Care responsibilities fall disproportionately on women and girls. Globally, women perform 76.2% of unpaid care work and spend, on average, 3.2 times more time on these tasks than men (ILO, 2018).
How Is Care Connected to Gender Equality?
The distribution of care responsibilities is closely connected to gender inequalities.
Worldwide, women perform most unpaid care work and spend, on average, more time than men on these tasks. This unequal distribution can affect their ability to participate in the labor market, access education, have time for self-care and take part in recreational activities.
Transforming how care is distributed and organized is essential to advancing toward more equal and sustainable societies.