ILO SSE Academy in Costa Rica brought to a fruitful completion 

The 7th edition of the ILO Academy on Social and Solidarity Economy  (SSE) took place in San José, Costa Rica on 21 - 25 November 2016. The President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Mr Luis Guillermo Solís, opened the Academy with the Minister of Labour and Social Security. In his video message ILO Director General, Mr Guy Ryder, pointed out the contributions of social and solidarity economy institutions to sustainable development. Read more>>

The ILO’s Office in Manila, in collaboration with its Cooperatives Unit in Geneva, conducted a study on the practical and political viability of developing fair and alternative recruitment through cross border labour intermediation services provided by cooperative enterprises. This study is intended to contribute to a broader research agenda on fair recruitment processes in the Philippines.  Between 17 and 18 November, the preliminary findings of the study were presented at a meeting in Manila with ILO constituents, academia, cooperatives and other civil society organizations.  Read more>> 

The ILO Port of Spain Office, in partnership with the Cooperatives Unit in Geneva, is working with the National Union of Domestic Workers (NUDE) in strengthening their cooperative, the Service Workers Centre Cooperative Society Limited (SWCC). The cooperative aims to provide improved access to decent employment opportunities and related services, improve livelihoods and advance the overall social and economic well-being of its members. The ILO and NUDE organized a workshop and consultative meeting with SWCC members on November 11-12 to discuss the economic viability of employment and other services to be provided through the cooperative. Read more>>

During this second edition of the Academy on formalisation of the informal economy, ILO’s Cooperatives Unit contributed with a presentation on cooperating out of informality. The presentation was accompanied by a video of a waste pickers’ cooperative in Pune India. The majority of the 40 participants came from ILO constituents in Africa. In the ensuing discussion questions around the advancement of cooperatives by ILO constituents and the elements of the enabling environment for cooperatives were discussed. See video>>

On November, UN DESA Division for Social Policy and Development organized an Expert Group Meeting on the “Role of Cooperatives in Promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. Cooperatives are recognized in the Agenda as a means of implementation along with other private sector actors including microenterprises and multinationals. Read more>>

COOP Spotlight is a series showcasing innovative cooperative initiatives from around the world with whom ILO COOP has been engaging for learning and collaboration. The fourth cooperative featured in the series is the Wind of Renewal, a social cooperative in Greece that has launched a housing project for refugees. Read more>>

As submitted by the German government, the idea and practice of organizing shared interests in cooperatives was included on UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription of cooperatives on this list describes cooperatives as entities that “allow for community building through shared interests and values creating innovative solutions to societal problems, from generating employment and assisting seniors to urban revitalisation and renewable energy projects”. Read more>>

Currently four case studies are available in this series exploring the enabling environment around the social and solidarity economy: the Philippines, Europe, Brazil and Nicaragua. The first two case studies are available in English and Spanish, and the last two are currently only available in Spanish. These cases outline main features of public policies for social and solidarity economy including legal frameworks, government policies, development programmes and institutional reforms. They also discuss the effectiveness of public policies in supporting social and solidarity economy organizations and enterprises, focusing on factors and conditions related to their successful design and implementation. Read more>>

The NCB Co-op 100 presents the top 100 revenue-earning cooperative businesses in the US. This annual report takes stock of the key indicators for these cooperatives in the country which generated a combined revenue of US$223.8 billion in 2015.Read more>>

The report proposes a series of key recommendations for policy-makers to support the development of social enterprises and the social economy as a driver of inclusive and impactful economic growth. Its’ recommendations are targeted at the European Commission, EU Member States (including their local and regional authorities) and third party countries, as well as the social enterprise community. Read more>>