Transforming governance and care: UNDP’s role advancing gender equality in Latin America

Structural inequalities are so deeply rooted across Latin America, where the relative burden of unpaid care work is cast among women especially. This load curtails economic opportunities, access to effective resources and preserves circles of marginalization. The Regional Gender Equality Strategy in 2023-2025 of UNDP recognizes care as a social need as well as an economic sector that necessitates immediate reformation of public policy.

Over 62 percent of the adult females in the region are in multidimensional poverty according to the figures recorded by UNDP where the lack of funds is joined with unavailability of education, health, and housing. This situation is compounded by care activities which usually drive women into the informal labor markets or beyond employment opportunities in the paid work sectors.

The escalating care crisis

Demographic aging, displacement related to climatic factors, and migration flows within the regions are increasing levels of demand towards care services. However, these services are not well funded and appreciated. The existing model places millions of women in impoverished economic positions and their freedom is limited. The strategy proposed by UNDP envisions gender-transformative care systems composed of social protection integration, redistribution of resources, and equitable access to the labour market.

Policy innovation and digital public infrastructure

An important feature in the UNDP approach is the fact that digital public infrastructure is used to enhance care governance. Through the adoption of data-driven tools, governments are also better equipped to map care needs, distribute resources wisely and create inclusive policies that are aimed at marginalized groups.

The model is especially strong at reaching indigenous, rural and migrant women whose needs are usually captured less in national data sets. At the same time, through the combination of local data collection and regional platforms, UNDP facilitates evidence-based decisions with the emphasis on inclusivity.

Accountability and transparency

There is also enhanced transparency in the service delivery by use of digital platforms. They enable societies to track care delivery, give their opinions and hold the institutions responsible. This would fit with the wider governance change agenda at UNDP, which focuses on participatory processes and open information as a means to restoring trust by citizens in state institutions.

Governance transformation and women’s political empowerment

Latin-American political institutions continue to underrepresent women who, as of the middle of 2025, do not occupy more than a quarter of the cabinet ministers. UNDP approach focuses on the enhancement of women in participation and leadership since they believe that political voice is paramount in determining gender considerate policies.

Using the Political Parity Index, UNDP monitors the representation through Political Parity Index with the initiatives such as the Atenea Initiative to identify the barriers, such as gender-based violence in politics. Information of this kind drives specific change to electoral systems and lends credence to women leadership programming.

Building gender-sensitive institutions

Another pillar of the work by UNDP is institutional reform. The Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions asks governments to incorporate gender approaches at all levels of administration including budgetary allocation and delivery of service. As of 2025 there are in excess of 70 participating institutions having embraced the seal, and this will be towards systemic gender mainstreaming.

These efforts would be seeking to instill the idea of equality within the society in such a way that the policies created will represent a wide array of needs and break down the vectors that allow discrimination to thrive.

Addressing setbacks amid multidimensional crises

The confusion between crises has redefined the gender equality situation in Latin America. The estimated time required to reduce the gender gap is consequently estimated to take 134 years, but the COVID-19 pandemic alone contributed to such an increase. Women, particularly those who receive informal employment or run small businesses, have been the most disproportionately hit by inflation, economic shrinkage, and social instability.

The recovery agenda advocated by UNDP focuses on gender-responsive fiscal policies, increases in the range of social protections, and focuses on providing women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises. Measures key to this include fortification of care systems, which is both preventive of economic exclusion and a means of entry into the economy.

Intersectional approaches to equality

Taking into account that women’s experiences are highly diverse, UNDP begins to use intersectional strategies that take into consideration the combined impacts of race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. Collaborations with civil society organizations are used to make sure that indigenous, Afro-descendant, migrant, and rural women enjoy equal access to digital resources, access to credit, and productive resources.

Cultural change and institutional reform can both be supported through monitoring of discriminatory social norms and behaviors to align policy framework with the changing social realities, in turn supported by the UNDP.

The road ahead for sustainable gender equality

UNDP’s 2023-2025 strategy in Latin America demonstrates a comprehensive approach that unites governance reform and care system transformation. By addressing structural inequalities, advancing women’s political participation, and embedding gender equality within institutions, the program aims to produce lasting change in the region’s social and economic landscape.

The integration of digital tools into care governance offers a scalable, transparent model for delivering services and measuring impact. At the same time, institutional reforms like the Gender Equality Seal incentivize public administrations to sustain progress beyond political cycles.

This person has spoken on the topic and captured the current momentum:

FIFA by no means the only major sporting event that does volunteer programmes but does seem quite odd to me that an organization boasting about projected $13bn revenue + getting tax breaks + most costs covered by U.S. states and cities doesn’t pay people to do this stuff. pic.twitter.com/irPIrfmp7f

— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) August 11, 2025

The success of these initiatives will depend on consistent funding, multi-stakeholder engagement, and the political will to challenge entrenched power structures. As Latin America confronts new economic and environmental challenges, the capacity to adapt governance systems and reimagine care as both a right and a public good will shape the trajectory of gender equality for decades to come. The emerging interplay between political empowerment, social protection, and technological innovation signals a transformative moment—one in which the vision for equitable societies must continually evolve to meet the complexities of a rapidly changing world.