Sister organisation of World Bank launches working group

Under an initiative led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – a member of the World Bank Group and sister organisation of the World Bank – a wide range of stakeholders has come together to develop a set of guidelines designed to ensure safe and good quality care provision for employers to use in the provision of childcare.

Henriette Kolb, Manager at the IFC Gender Secretariat noted “The global guidelines will fill an important knowledge and practice gap when it comes to employer-supported childcare.”

Care providers included in the initiative include French provider Babilou, US provider Bright Horizons and US-based care search site, Care.com as well as US accreditation entity, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (USA).

The guidelines to be developed will help employers around the world implement tailored childcare options and address issues such as the skills of caregivers; health and safety of children; opportunities for children’s early learning and development; as well as adult-child ratio.

Ms Kolb also noted “The working group provides an opportunity for us to work more closely together with key stakeholders to increase investments in the care economy and create more inclusive labor markets.”

This is consistent with the IFC’s view that a lack of access to good-quality, affordable childcare is a key barrier to women’s access to more and better jobs in many countries, and their focus on removing barriers, including lack of childcare, for greater access to more and better jobs for both women and men — particularly in fragile, conflict-affected, and low-income countries.

Companies involved in the initiative include pharmaceutical company EMD Serono, US investment bank Goldman Sachs, and Danish toy manufacturer Lego.

Notable international organisations participating include the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).ith respect to notable non-governmental and research organisations, the Association for Childhood Education International, Oxfam, Save the Children, International Development Research Center (IDRC), and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) are involved.