Recognising the International Day of Care and Support

That the Parliament recognises the International Day of Care and Support, which is marked annually on 29 October; believes that the day provides an opportunity to pay tribute to all those who do care work, both paid and unpaid; notes that women make up 79% of the social care workforce and 73% of unpaid carers in Scotland; further notes that the General Assembly of the UN decided to proclaim 29 October as International Day of Care and Support as it wished to recognise and value paid care work and care workers as essential workers and to recognise, reduce, redistribute and value unpaid care work, with full respect for human rights; observes that recognition of care and support is key to achieving gender equality and societal and economic sustainability; recognises that demand for care and support is growing and believes that addressing this demand requires decent and fulfilling work with good terms and conditions in order to avoid crises in care and increased gender inequalities; commends the work of the many organisations across Scotland working to support and improve conditions for care and support staff, and encourages people throughout Scotland to take a moment on this International Day of Care and Support to honour the dedication and skill of all carers, paid and unpaid.