The meeting featured the presentation of the interactive tool that maps the location of more than 9.000 care centers and includes functionalities that facilitate navigation and the use of the information collected.

Within the framework of the technical assistance provided by ECLAC’s Division for Gender Affairs to the National Directorate for Care of the Ministry of Equality and Equity and to the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia (DANE), professionals from these institutions met on September 23 to discuss progress in the development the Care Map of Colombia and the conceptual document on community care for the design of the National Care Policy (PNC).

The participation of the Ministry of Equality and Equity of Colombia was led by Natalia Moreno, Director of Care of the Ministry, while ECLAC was represented by Lucía Scuro, Senior Social Affairs Officer of the Division for Gender Affairs, and Angela Penagós, Director of the ECLAC Office in Bogotá.

The meeting, held at the offices of the Ministry of Equality and Equity in Bogotá, unfolded in two parts. First, the second prototype of the map was presented and the strengths and weaknesses of the data collection process feeding the platform were analyzed. Among the main achievements, participants highlighted the consolidation of a database establishing a baseline of the centers that make up the public care offer across the national territory, georeferenced and containing relevant information both for citizens seeking care services and for decision-makers at the national and territorial levels.

In addition, an interactive tool was presented that allows users to visualize the location of more than 9,000 care centers and includes features that facilitate navigation and the use of the collected information.

The second part focused on advances in the document reflecting Colombia’s experience in incorporating community care into the PNC. In the first version, delivered in 2024, ECLAC provided background information to approach community care and integrate the community care perspective into the design of care policies at the territorial level. In this second version, presented during the meeting, the focus was on public–grassroots partnerships for community care within Colombia’s PNC, as well as on details regarding the design and guiding criteria of the policy.

During the session, Colombia’s PNC was highlighted as a pioneering advancement in the region towards building a care society and guaranteeing care as a right, emphasizing the recognition and strengthening of community organizations as a central pillar of the National Care System.

This space enabled a technical dialogue on these tools, which will help strengthen the design and implementation of care policies from a gender, territorial and intersectional perspective. The participants agreed on the importance of continuing their joint efforts to advance towards a care society and gender equality in the region.