Care systems must be treated as a core element of social policy, economic planning and international cooperation, Türkiye’s family minister said Monday, urging governments to bolster support for families, women, children, older people and people with disabilities.

Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Türkiye’s Family and Social Services minister, was speaking at the opening session of the Europe and Asia Care Forum, organized by U.N. Women in Istanbul. The session focused on transforming care systems for inclusive, resilient economies based on equal opportunities for women and men.

Göktaş said care is not a temporary need limited to certain stages of life, but a basic part of human dignity and social resilience.

"Care is the foundation of safe growth in childhood, full participation in life for people with disabilities, dignified living in old age, recovery during illness and solidarity within the family," she added.

She noted that Türkiye builds its social service policies around the family, which she described as the strongest building block of society. A strong family, she said, can be sustained through protective, preventive and supportive public services.

Göktaş said women shoulder major responsibilities in family life, work and society, and that recognizing their labor is essential to strengthening their participation in all areas of life.

"The empowerment of women is a process that strengthens both the family and society," she said, adding that increasing women’s opportunities in education, employment, entrepreneurship and decision-making contributes directly to family welfare, children’s futures and social productivity.

She also pointed to recent measures supporting working parents, including increasing maternity leave from 16 to 24 weeks and extending paternity leave for private-sector workers to two weeks.

She said that both female and male civil servants are now able to benefit from part-time work rights until their children reach primary school age.

Göktaş stressed that Türkiye is also working on alternative care models, noting that care needs change according to life stage, family structure, working conditions and social environment.

"For us, a strong social state sees risks in advance, supports the family, empowers women, protects children, opens the way for people with disabilities and offers older people a dignified life," she said.