The APEC Embracing Carers Policy Toolkit to Address the Unpaid Care Gap (Toolkit) puts forward policy examples, case studies, and implementation steps to help all stakeholders better support caregivers, most of whom are women. To make the case for investing in the care economy, the Toolkit incorporates the “5R framework for decent care”, a model of action-oriented policy objectives developed by the ILO and adopted by other multilateral organizations, to guide the implementation of effective interventions for unpaid care.

The Toolkit was informed by the foundational literature put forward by international organizations and academics. The project convened an Expert Advisory Group with representation across government, private sector, multilaterals, and civil society who lent their expertise in advocating for policies that address harmful gender norms and gender-based discrimination and create conditions that allow everyone to participate in both the labor force and caregiving.