The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection of Mongolia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) convened a Multistakeholder Dialogue on Investing in the Care Economy, bringing together policymakers, private sector leaders, and development partners to explore sustainable financing for care services and strategies to reduce the care burden on women.
The event was held in the context of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and Mongolia’s commitment to improve gender equality. This year’s International Women’s Day 2025 also underscores the urgent need to recognize and address women’s unpaid care work as a key step toward gender equity and inclusive economic growth.
Despite progress, unpaid care work remains a major barrier to women’s workforce participation. Mongolia’s women’s labor force participation rate (51.5%) remains significantly lower than men’s (66.4%), and it declines further with childbirth. According to the National Statistics Office, 67,500 individuals—primarily women—are engaged in unpaid caregiving for elderly family members, children with disabilities, and individuals requiring continuous medical care as of 2023. 
His Excellency Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren, the Minister of Family, Labour, and Social Protection, emphasized that “The care economy is an essential pillar of national development, just as critical as any other sector. Investing in care services is not just about supporting families—it is about unlocking our nation’s full economic potential. By expanding access to quality and affordable care services, we can create jobs, enable women to participate more actively in the workforce, and ensure a more resilient economy for future generations.”
Honorable Bayasgalan Jadambaa, Member of the Parliament of Mongolia, highlighted, "From birth to the end of life, everyone inevitably requires care. It is crucial to recognize the economic value of unpaid care work performed daily within families and households and to integrate it into the broader economy.”
UNDP has been working with Government of Mongolia to strengthen sustainable and inclusive employment sector and has conducted relevant studies to promote care economy such as market assessment of sustainable finance instruments for care service providers and gender bond framework with strong focus on care economy.
UNDP Resident Representative Matilda Dimovska reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting Mongolia in transforming care work into a recognized and well-financed sector: “For too long, care work has been treated as an invisible force that sustains economies without receiving the investment it deserves. Mongolia has an opportunity to change this narrative and lead the way in making care work a priority in its economic agenda. Investing in the care economy is not a cost—it is an opportunity for growth, innovation, and a more inclusive society.” 
The dialogue also explored financing mechanisms to expand Mongolia’s care infrastructure, including public-private partnerships, and employer-supported childcare for care providers. Furthermore, stakeholders aimed to create a shared understanding of the current state of the care economy, identifying viable long-term financing solutions, and developing concrete, actionable recommendations to strengthen care services and investment strategies. 
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