Prime Minister Hun Manet addresses the third ASEAN Women Leaders’ Summit, hosted by Laos, via video conference on August 23. STPM
Prime Minister Hun Manet has called for an ASEAN solution to the challenges of the care economy of the bloc, noting that their issues are structural.
“The issues of the care economy and its challenges are structural in nature, and therefore they require a holistic approach from each government, complemented by further coordinated action from all ASEAN member states,” he said via video link, as he addressed the third ASEAN Women Leaders’ Summit, hosted by Laos as the ASEAN chair, on August 23.
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He described the task of strengthening the care economy and resilience throughout the post-2025 ASEAN community as crucial in building a people-centred community, towards a gender-equal, sustainable, inclusive and resilient society.
“I believe that the key deliverables from the discussions among key stakeholders can serve as valuable inputs for ASEAN leaders to promote and recognize the value of care work, both paid and unpaid, as well as domestic work.
“I can proudly refer to this platform as a realisation of ASEAN’s commitment towards improving the quality of life and well-being of people of ASEAN to prepare ASEAN to be stronger, resilient, and sustainable in response to complex crises and new challenges,” he said.
Manet explained that the care economy cuts across most of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), saying that growth and social development cannot be stable without care support, while investing in care work is a core approach for gender equality, human capital development, well-being, and inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The prime minister highlighted the care economy – which encompasses both paid and unpaid care work, as well as domestic work – and is mostly performed by women, noting that this often poses significant barriers for women, preventing them from fully accessing opportunities, exercising their full potential and participating meaningfully in development.
Manet emphasised ASEAN’s comprehensive framework on the care economy, which was introduced in 2021, reiterating Cambodia’s support for this strategic move in the right direction.
“In fact, the policy of my administration, phase one of the Pentagonal Strategy, shares the same missions and objectives, notably on the efforts to provide social protection for all.
“Recently, we launched a roadmap towards universal health coverage 2024 -2035,” he said.
He highlighted Cambodia’s readiness to contribute in a meaningful manner to the regional effort, looking forward to the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Care Economy and Resilience Towards ASEAN Community post-2025 in the near future.
Ek Bunly, a researcher at the Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies (CCRS), said that Manet raised a very interesting point, in that the challenges of the care economy are structural in nature as it is often seen, especially in Southeast Asia, that when it comes to caretaking tasks, whether for children, the elderly or the sick – either paid or unpaid – it is not being discussed enough and is oftentimes overlooked.
“I believe we are still stuck in the traditional mindset, without any development, that caretaking tasks are most predominantly a women’s job, and not an equally shared responsibility.
“This has led to a loophole of inequality in which those who work in the care industry are often exposed to exploitation, and also discrimination, without any substantial protection from the authorities,” he told The Post on August 23.
Bunly explained that Manet’s comments on the economy coincide with Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy, which focuses on social equality for all.
He suggested that ASEAN should also promote the involvement of women in the gender equality agenda to further strengthen and actualise a people-centred commitment in the ASEAN community post-2025.
