Bangkok, Thailand – The partners behind the WE CARE Ordinance of Quinapondan, Eastern Samar were honored as 2024 Asia-Pacific Care Champions by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and UN Women.

The award recognizes “trailblazers who have made pioneering contributions to building inclusive and sustainable care systems” whose initiatives are aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The award was jointly received by Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla, Quinapondan Vice Mayor Leo Jasper Candido, Oxfam Pilipinas Board of Trustees Member Lan Mercado, and Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement Area Manager Raymundo Agaton, Jr.

The award ceremony was part of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review.

The We Care ordinance is a pioneering legislation recognizing unpaid care and domestic work and promoting shared caregiving responsibilities, benefiting women, children, the elderly, and families in Quinapondan. It was launched in 2018 and mandated an annual allocation for the municipality’s care program, which is mainstreamed into the social welfare and gender and development programs. The ordinance is supported by UNESCAP and Oxfam Pilipinas through the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Care (WEE-Care) project.

Mercado, speaking on behalf of Oxfam Pilipinas at the ceremony, highlighted the importance of continuing the fight for gender equality:

“This award motivates us to continue advocating for policies and programs that address the unequal burdens of unpaid care and domestic work. The real reward, though, will come when we see women the world over—especially those from poor and vulnerable sectors—claim their power and leadership, be free and secure from gender-based violence, and enjoy a fair and equal society that begins in households.”

The ordinance also won the ASEAN Women Leaders’ Summit Care Economy Recognition Award in August 2024.

The care ordinance has been replicated by 30 local government units in Visayas and Mindanao. Efforts to develop the National Care Economy Framework are ongoing, led by Oxfam Pilipinas and the Philippine Commission on Women with support from Investing in Women and UNESCAP.