Colombo Maps the Places Where Care Falls Short

The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka have launched a five-month pilot of the Care Georeferencing Tool (CGT), a digital care planning tool developed by UNDP, to identify gaps in care services and improve access for children, older people, persons with disabilities and their families. Launched in the presence of Colombo Mayor Vraîe Cally Balthazaar, UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota and senior government officials, the initiative will map existing care services, identify underserved neighbourhoods and help the CMC make evidence-based decisions on care infrastructure and service provision. The initiative addresses the unequal burden of unpaid care work, which accounts for an estimated 10% to 42% of Sri Lanka’s GDP when unpaid housework, care work and voluntary work are considered. Women undertake more than 85% of the total time spent on unpaid care work in Sri Lanka, while women across the Asia-Pacific region perform 4.1 times more unpaid care work than men, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). The pilot, supported by UNDP Sri Lanka and its Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, includes capacity-building for officials from the CMC and relevant government institutions. The tool has previously been used in city councils across 11 countries in Latin America and Africa and piloted in Bhutan and Malaysia. At the end of the five-month pilot, the CMC is expected to have a mapped inventory of care services, a list of underserved neighbourhoods and an interactive dashboard to support care policy and service planning. The initiative aims to promote more inclusive care systems, ease the burden on women and families, and help more people participate in economic and social life.