Latin America and the Caribbean is immersed in a care crisis that is having a disproportionate impact on women and especially those subject to various forms of intersectional exclusion. This crisis is reflected in increasing demand for care services that is linked to many different interrelated factors, such as the rapid ageing of the population, changes in the labour market, the effects of climate change, migration flows that alter the dynamics of care in places of origin and destination, and insufficient care services and infrastructure. Hence the urgent need to work on designing and strengthening care policies to serve as a cornerstone for more inclusive and sustainable development in the region.

This document outlines the rationale for implementing care policies with a territorial approach, examines the extent to which, and the ways in which, care policies are implemented in politically, socially, economically and culturally heterogeneous territories in the region, looks at the challenges involved in implementing these policies and sets out guidelines for designing and implementing care policies at the territorial level.