During a side event at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), cooperatives were highlighted as an innovative pathway to empower communities and transform care systems. Held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 21 March, CSW69 focused on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.
The side event was jointly organised by the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), the Government Offices of Sweden and We Effect, in collaboration with Cooperatives Europe and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) on 11 March.
Guided by the event’s theme of "Collectively Transforming Care Systems with A Multi-Sectoral Approach," participants discussed how to recognise, reduce, redistribute, and reward care work. The conversation was informed by a 2025 UN policy paper on Transforming Care Systems in the Context of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Xiomara Nuñez de Cespedes, the President of the International Cooperative Alliance’s Gender Equality Committee highlighted the role of cooperatives in driving change, drawing on her experience as a member of the Multi-Service Cooperative of Nursing Professionals (COOPROENF), a cooperative of nurses in the Dominican Republic.
“We work with allies and governments to transform care systems, but we can't wait for external changes; we must make changes from within, from within our cooperatives,” she said.
Participants talked about the need to reduce the unequal distribution of unpaid work on women, implement regulations for decent working conditions and equal pay for all care workers and guarantee the full and effective participation and equal opportunities for collective bargaining for caregivers.
They also pointed out that governments need to invest in cooperative care solutions as a means to ensure that care work is assumed as a collective responsibility, contributing to the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty reduction and women’s rights.
WeEffect shared its experience in Latin American countries, which is highlighted in a new report themed “Not an invisible hand.” The report explains that the cooperative model can serve these populations, and should be recognised for that possible contribution. In doing so, it is vital to include experiences of local governance by indigenous, peasant and urban communities, as this can improve the accountability of public institutions.
“Cooperatives are the ideal model for transforming the care systems, and this IYC is the ideal year to make this visible,” said Damaris R. Ruiz from We Effect, one of the world's largest cooperative development organisations.
Another message that came out of the session was that collaborations are important and cooperatives should seek to foster collaborations between cooperatives and other actors in the care sector.
“Inequality is not inevitable. Growth does not require inequality,” said Wenyan Yang, Chief, Social Perspective on Development Branch, UN.
Other speakers included Amber Parkes (UN Women), Gisela Strand (Swedish Development Cooperation Agency) and Jeanette Kindipan-Dulawan, Oxfam Filipinas.
This international event marks one of many key advocacy opportunities taking place during the UN International Year of Cooperatives in 2025. For more information on how to get involved throughout this year, please visit https://2025.coop.
