Development in Latin America is characterized by structural heterogeneity, diverse forms of inequality (economic, social and gender), high urbanization and a process of demographic transition. This particular combination of a growing and aging urban population, in a region where culturally the majority of the care work is unpaid and undertaken by women, poses a particular challenge for public policies that deal with access of dependent populations to quality care services. With a view to strengthening national and local capacities to respond to these challenges, this project aims at producing regional evidence on the benefits of investing in policies and programmes that address care of dependent populations and women.