Uzbekistan strengthens capacity to develop care cooperatives

Global Accelerator

Uzbekistan strengthens capacity to develop care cooperatives

An ILO Training of Trainers explored how cooperative approaches can help expand quality care services and create decent work opportunities in Uzbekistan.

7 August 2026

TASHKENT (ILO News) - A five-day Training of Trainers on the Think.CareCoop and Start.CareCoop tools of the International Labour Organization (ILO) was held in Tashkent from 3 to 7 August, bringing together representatives of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, the National Agency for Social Protection, social partners, civil society and the private sector to explore cooperative approaches to care provision, decent work and formalization. The training was organized under the United Nations (UN) Joint Programme, "Accelerating Decent Jobs and Social Protection for a Just Transition to Formality in Uzbekistan," led by the ILO in partnership with UNDP, UNICEF and UN Women.

The training built on Uzbekistan's growing engagement with the social and solidarity economy, including its participation in the Group of Friends on the Social and Solidarity Economy. It also drew on the ILO's longstanding mandate and expertise on cooperatives, dating back to the establishment of its Cooperatives Unit in 1920.

Across the world, communities are facing growing demand for childcare, support for older persons, services for persons with disabilities, healthcare and other forms of care. At the same time, a large share of care work continues to be unpaid, informal, undervalued or performed under inadequate working conditions. Cooperatives can help respond to these challenges while creating opportunities for formal employment, skills development and improved working conditions.

"Social and solidarity economy approaches can create opportunities for inclusion and formal employment, particularly for women, young people and vulnerable groups. This training is an important step in building Uzbekistan's capacity to develop care cooperatives and adapt these approaches to local needs. Uzbekistan is committed to working with the Group of Friends to exchange experience and good practices and to create an enabling environment for sustainable and inclusive growth," said Nilufarkhon Kamalova, representative of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction.

The Think.CareCoop and Start.CareCoop tools were developed by the ILO Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit and the Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch. Through Think.CareCoop, participants explored care needs, cooperative values and principles, collective action, relationships and possible business structures. Start.CareCoop provided practical guidance on identifying core members and service ideas, assessing feasibility, developing business plans and considering the organizational set-up of a cooperative. The training programme also drew on international experience while emphasizing the importance of adapting cooperative models to Uzbekistan's institutional, legal and cultural context.

Vasilya Norbekova, founder of the NGO "Hunar va Hayot", said: "The training provided practical tools for organizing care workers into cooperatives, including how to identify and select members, develop a business idea and build a sustainable cooperative. The practical exercises and games also gave us an opportunity to test our knowledge. I look forward to applying what we have learned and supporting the development of care cooperatives in Uzbekistan."

With Uzbekistan's population now exceeding 38 million, demand for care services is expected to rise as the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to more than triple by 2050, while children are expected to account for 30 per cent of the population by 2030. Women continue to shoulder much of the unpaid care work, limiting their participation in the labour market. Expanding quality, affordable and accessible care services can help meet these growing needs while creating opportunities for decent work and formal employment for care workers.

Uzbekistan is the first country in Central Asia to adapt and organize this Training of Trainers programme. The programme aims to establish a pool of national trainers able to support the development of care cooperatives in a systematic, sustainable and scalable manner, helping translate the training into locally adapted initiatives and services.

TheUN Global Accelerator joint programme is supported by the Joint SDG Fund. We sincerely appreciate the contributions from the European Union and the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in accelerating progress towards the SDGs.