On 5 May 2026, the EU–LAC Multi-stakeholder Forum in the framework of the Bi-regional Care Pact: Long-term care in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean: Different pathways, common challenges? will take place in Berlin, organised by the EU-LAC Foundation. The event will bring together representatives from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean to promote dialogue and the exchange of experiences in an area of key importance for both regions.
Within the framework of the Bi-regional Care Pact, and in line with the mandate assigned to the EU-LAC Foundation to support the work of the Network of National Focal Points of the signatory countries, and considering that long-term care constitutes a highly relevant dimension of care for participating countries, the Forum is organised with the following objectives:
- To foster dialogue among representatives from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean – including public authorities, multilateral organisations, development and investment banks, international cooperation agencies, care providers, academia and civil society – on progress in public policies, lessons learned and innovative initiatives related to long-term care;
- To deepen understanding of public policy options and good practices aimed at employment formalisation, capacity-building and improving working conditions for care workers;
- To analyse long-term care as a strategic investment within social protection and health systems, with a view to ensuring universal access and reducing inequalities within the care economy;
- To generate ideas for establishing multi-stakeholder partnerships – involving families and communities, public authorities and the private sector – in the provision of long-term care at the local level;
- To highlight the relevance of the Bi-regional Care Pact within the framework of the CELAC–EU partnership.
Among the event partners are the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Uruguay), as well as international organisations and specialised research centres such as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, UN Women, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the International Labour Organisation.
The event is organised within the framework of the ECLAC–BMZ/GIZ Strategic Alliance under the project “Care economies for sustainable economic development with gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean (2024–2027)”, implemented by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Background
Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean are undergoing significant demographic transformations, characterised by population ageing, increased life expectancy and declining fertility rates. These trends are generating growing demand for long-term care services in a context marked by structural challenges such as labour informality in the sector, gender inequalities and limited access to quality services.
In both regions, care systems combine formal services with a strong reliance on informal care, which falls disproportionately on women. At the same time, strengthening care systems is increasingly recognised as a key component of social protection, inclusion and economic development.
On 9 November 2025, at the CELAC–EU Summit in Santa Marta (Colombia), the Bi-regional Care Pact was formally launched as an informal, values-based cooperation mechanism, voluntary in nature and open to all countries of Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the EU Member States. The Pact aims to serve as a permanent forum for bi-regional dialogue and cooperation on the legal, social and economic dimensions of care systems.
Format and structure
The Forum will take place over a full day, combining plenary sessions and parallel sessions dedicated to good practices and idea labs. These will address different dimensions of long-term care, including professionalisation of the sector, financing strategies and innovations in service provision.
Parallel sessions will include rapporteurs whose findings will be presented in a final plenary session, with a view to synthesising the main discussions and conclusions. The organisers will also prepare a comprehensive report of the Forum, to be shared with participants and the wider public.
The Forum will be held in person and will provide simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and English.