The Asia Foundation Hosts Australia’s Care Economy Research Institute visit in Malaysia
Creating equitable care ecosystems is a cornerstone of women’s empowerment and advancement in the workforce. The Asia Foundation supports this vision under the Australia- Malaysia Reform Partnership (AMRP). It works with local and regional partners to address gender issues in the care industry and contribute to policy reforms.
Sustaining critical engagements and dialogues with public, private, and civil society stakeholders, the Foundation, with the support of the Australian High Commission in Malaysia, recently hosted the Care Economy Research Institute (CERI) of La Trobe University in a visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 6-8.
Robin Bush, our country representative in Malaysia, and the Foundation’s staff welcomed CERI chair and director Irene Blackberry and its acting director Anne-Marie Laslett. They facilitated their visit to the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) and the State Government of Selangor.
The team sat down with the Ministry’s Deputy Secretary General and Selangor state officials to discuss pressing issues in Malaysia’s care sector and share insights and best practices from Australia on designing and implementing effective care policies and investments. These dialogues feed into the Foundation’s work with the federal and state governments in providing technical inputs to the national care industry roadmap and related regulations in professionalizing care work in the country.
CERI officials also met with the President and members of the National Council of Women’s Organization (NCWO) and research firm Merdeka Centre to exchange ideas on care policy, advocacy, and program delivery for Malaysia’s aging population, children, and persons with disabilities. Irene Blackberry also delivered a lecture at the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and spoke with local media Bernama TV and BFM Radio.
Learn more about our work in transforming the care economy in Malaysia:
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