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17 November, 2016
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©2016 International Summit of Cooperatives/Normand Huberdeau
The International Summit of Cooperatives received more than 3,000 participants from 93 countries. It had a strong emphasis on recognizing and unleashing the strength of cooperatives and mutuals in addressing key social, economic and environmental development issues as outlined in the 2030 Agenda. During this edition of the Summit, employment was one of the top five issue areas of focus along with food security, access to health care and social services, poverty and financial inclusion, and climate change and sustainable development. The Director of the ILO Enterprises Department was a key note speaker on the panel on the Sustainable Development Goals and led the breakout session on employment. The preliminary declaration from the Summit is available in English, French and Spanish.
News from the field
The A’AMAL project aims to enhance the employability and professional integration of young people in two wilayas (provinces) in Eastern Algeria, Annaba and Khenchela, through direct technical and financial assistance to civil society organizations (CSOs). As part of its strategy, in August 2016, the project launched a call for proposals for promoting youth entrepreneurship and their employability in the two wilayas for local CSOs. Proposals could cover sectors such as agribusiness, tourism, aquaculture, vocational training, handicraft, and public works. The committee, made up of representatives from the ILO, local authorities, trade unions, employers’ organizations and development partners selected 9 projects for funding.
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©FAO/Pier Paolo Cito
The 43rd session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) was celebrated in Rome, Italy, in October. CFS is an inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for all those stakeholders who work towards ensuring food security and nutrition for all. As in several previous editions of CFS, the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) organized a side event on 21 October, with a title “Cooperatives promoting inclusive rural-urban linkages for sustainable food systems”. The side event, attended by over 50 people, included speakers from organizations promoting cooperative development around the world.
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Cooperatives are well-placed to provide a part of the response to both refugee and labour migration situations. In fact, cooperative interventions have been used to deliver on refugee situations across the world in recent years. To explore these options further, on 22 October ILO COOP participated in a seminar on cooperatives and migration in Naples, Italy, organized by an Italian cooperative federation Federsolidarietà – Confcooperative as part of their Social Cooperatives International School for over 30 cooperative practitioners from around Europe.
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Spotlight on Cooperatives
COOP Spotlight is a new series that showcases innovative cooperative initiatives from around the world with whom ILO COOP are engaging for learning and future collaboration. The third cooperative featured in the series is the iCOOP Korea, a major consumer cooperative in the Republic of Korea.
Noteworthy Resources
The last OECD/EC policy brief on scaling the impact of social enterprises, available in English , French and German. This policy brief addresses this question in two steps. First, it illustrates a number of strategies currently being used by social enterprises to scale their impact. Second, it discusses the challenges encountered in this endeavour and the policy responses that could help overcome them.
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International Co-operative Alliance and the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse), collects available economic and social data on the world’s cooperative enterprises. According to the Monitor, the world’s largest 300 cooperatives and mutuals have grown their turnover by 7.20 percent to USD 2.53tn. The database for this edition contains information on 2,370 cooperatives from 63 countries.
This study looks at international data on worker-owned and run businesses in Europe, the US and Latin America and compares them with conventional businesses. By reviewing international statistical studies on the firms’ productivity, survival, investment and responsiveness, and the paper also argues the common understanding and recognition about worker cooperatives.
The briefing note discusses organizational governance and ownership, and reviews the evidence that they can influence outcomes. It is intended to support donors in enhancing the impact of future programming choices, when engaging with business. The policy brief based on joint initiatives of Oxfam and DCED presents practical examples from both developed and developing countries.
Joint internship between ILO COOP and DOSCOM on record administration has been issued. The incumbent will contribute by developing a database for all COPAC materials (e.g. publications, reports, minutes, etc.) currently stored in the ILO archives for future access and use by COPAC members including the ILO. Find out more about internship opportunities at the ILO. The closing date for applications is 30 November 2016.
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Upcoming events
NOVEMBER
15-19 12th Regional Assembly and 9th Cooperative Forum of ICA Asia Pacific region, New Delhi, India
16-18 1st International Forum on Co-operative Law, Montevideo, Uruguay
21-25 Social and Solidarity Economy Academy, Costa Rica
DECEMBER
14-15 Congress of Agricultural Cooperation 2016, Paris, France
20-21 Exploring the Potential of Cooperatives in the Recycling Industry workshop: The Role of Waste Pickers in the Recycling System in Turkey, Ankara, Turkey
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We invite you to share your stories on cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy enterprises with us at coop@ilo.org
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Email sent to: COOP@ilo.org
Cooperatives Unit, Enterprises Department
International Labour Organization
4 route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland
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