“Caruna,” a call to action for sustainable human development

In a world facing multiple crises (environmental, health, social, and democratic), care appears to be a compass for rethinking our models of society in order to make them more just, inclusive, and resilient. It is no longer just a matter of “curing” in the biomedical sense, but of caring for people, communities, and the planet, as well as its ecosystems.

A participatory international dynamic

This observation led the Christian Mutual Health Organizations (Belgium) to set up a broad citizen participation process, called CARUNA, with the aim of formulating concrete recommendations on Care. The intercontinental INSPIR network joined this initiative to bring an international dimension and enrich the discussion during a virtual round table organized on July 15, 2025.

More than 80 participants from five continents (Latin America and the Caribbean, Central Africa, West Africa, Asia, and Europe) contributed to an in-depth reflection on the fundamental values that care should embody.

Caruna, a word derived from Sanskrit, refers to care, empathy, and above all, the recognition of the other in oneself.

« When I include myself in the other, care becomes not an option, but a necessity. ».L.A Samy (AREDS, India & INSP!R Asia)

Reinvesting in care means making it a new benchmark for development and assessing the stability of a society, rather than relying solely on economic indicators. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that countries with strong social protection systems and robust hospital infrastructure have been better able to withstand the shock. Development can no longer be measured solely in terms of GDP. It must be human-centered and respectful of the individual as a whole.

«  It is time to rethink care: no longer solely as the management of illness, but as an overall state of well-being that incorporates prevention, the environment, social ties, education, work, and access to fundamental rights. » Valère Koffi (WSM, INSP!R West Africa)

This process of reflection gave rise to fundamental values of care and recommendations regarding the role of CARUNA.

The fundamental values of care:

• Care as a core value
  Care must structure the way societies are organized, at the individual level (body, mental health), community level (solidarity, mutual aid), and global level (ecology, future of generations to come). Care must become the new compass for understanding whether a society as a whole is healthy, moving beyond GDP as the core value of development.
• Care as a universal right:  
  Care is social protection, a right and a shared responsibility. Care must be considered a universal right and a collective responsibility, requiring public policies, investment, and commitment from society as a whole.
• Interdependence and solidarity:  
  These values must guide social, environmental, and economic policies. They recognize that no one lives independently and that our lives are linked to each other and to our environment. Thus, care and health is no longer an individual issue, but a collective one.  
• Recognition of informal and feminized care: 
  Invisible work (often carried out by women, families, and communities) must be valued, recognized, and supported, just like institutional care.
• Active citizen participation  
  The redefinition of health care systems must involve the participation of the populations concerned, in line with the principles of health and social democracy. Trade unions, mutual insurance companies, other social movements, and all civil society actors have a central role to play. This participation of populations and policy development must be based on a human rights approach.
• Link between healthcare and ecological transition  
  Human health and the health of the planet are closely linked. We must therefore articulate ecological issues and healthcare practices within a coherent eco-social vision.

Recommendations  

The recommendations that emerged from the international reflection on the Caruna process were rich and varied, and are as follows:  

1) Recognize and value invisible and community care

• Include informal and community care in public policy
• Make care a structuring principle of all public policies
• Consider care as a common good

2) Co-construct a democratic and inclusive world of care

• Organize spaces for intergenerational and intercultural dialogue
• Create participatory spaces to co-produce care policies
• Adapt policies to local realities

3) Take action for global solidarity in care

• Encourage the interconnection of successful experiences
• Promote international solidarity in care
• Guarantee social protection as a universal right

4) Innovate without dehumanizing

• Technical innovation: digitize without breaking human connections
• Innovation in democratic governance

5) Re-anchor the CARUNA process in current geopolitical realities  

• Take into account global power relations, structural inequalities (within countries, between countries and continents) and neocolonial dynamics that influence access to care and the definition (and attack on) social policies

For more information, see our report: Summary report and recommendations