The second part homes in on the issue of care, starting with the conceptual and policy view of care as a right, the position regarding paid care work, social expenditure patterns (especially, household spending on care services), the situation of persons with disabilities and their care needs, recent policies that the countries are implementing, and, finally, the challenges that lie ahead. Both of these continued to fall in the region and have reached 30-year lows. Most —but not all— of the countries of the region saw poverty decline during the most recent period. The rise in income among the poor has come primarily from higher wage income, in keeping with the trend over the past few years.