EU Explanation of Position – UN General Assembly: before the vote on the amendment to the resolution on the Care Economy

Chair, 

The EU and its Member States are of the view that this amendment wrongly insinuates that the care economy is irrelevant to economic growth and sustainable development.  

There is currently no dedicated General Assembly resolution addressing the care economy from an economic and sustainable development perspective. We remain in favour of a Secretary-General report which would fill this gap and provide much needed data to position the care economy as a as a strategic pillar of sustainable development, bridging economic, social, development and gender equality agendas under the purview of the Second Committee of the General Assembly.

This amendment is also deeply flawed from a procedural perspective. It risks creating an unwelcome precedent by requesting the Secretary-General to deliver a report in a committee outside of the committee in which the resolution negotiated.  In practice, such an approach undermines the work of this committee; provides insufficient guidance to the Secretary General on the operationalisation of the report; and damages our collective goal to make progress on this important issue.

Therefore, we will vote against the amendment presented by Pakistan, Egypt and Nigeria and we call upon other Member States to do the same.

I thank you.