Strengthening knowledge sharing on cooperatives between Africa and Japan

The seventh ILO-JCCU (Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union) Study Tour for African Cooperative leaders was organized from 30 August to 7 September. The study tour offered an opportunity for three cooperative leaders from Niger and Tanzania and cooperative leaders and practitioners from Japan to exchange and explore different types of cooperatives, including agriculture coop, consumer coop, financial coop, youth coop, worker coop, health coop, and cooperative support institutions such as research centres.

Presentations by the African cooperative leaders at a public seminar brought together 40 people including the Minister Plenipotentiary of Tanzania, the Minister Counsellor of Kenya and participants from cooperative federations, Japanese companies and researchers. See interviews with the participants here.

Spotlight on Cooperatives

Teachers Savings and Loan Society Limited (TISA)

ILO COOP recently started a series showcasing innovative cooperative initiatives from around the world. These are often cooperatives that we have recently met and engaged with for learning and future collaboration. This issue features a teachers’ savings cooperative from Papua New Guinea.

Meeting Updates

The Academy on Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) is forthcoming,21-25 November 2016

The 7th edition of the ILO Academy on SSE will be held between the 21st and 25th November, 2016 in San Jose, Costa Rica. This edition of the Academy, co-organized by the ILO and ITC-ILO aims to expand the participants’ knowledge on frameworks and discussions on SSE. Targeting people responsible for the promotion of SSE in Costa Rica and other countries, this edition of the Academy will be held in Spanish. For more information, see video message from Minister of Labour and Social Security of Costa Rica, Dr Carlos Alvarado Quesada. Deadline for the applications is the 14^th of October, 2016. Apply here.

The International Leading Group on SSE adopted a declaration in view of HABITAT III Conference

On September 22nd, International Leading Group on Social and Solidarity Economy (ILGSSE) including States, UN inter-agency task force on SSE, and civil society organizations, adopted a declaration on “SSE as a strategic means of implementing the New Urban Agenda” which will be approved next October during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (HABITAT III) in Quito, Ecuador. Gilbert Houngbo, ILO’s Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships participated in the conference.

Global Social Economy Forum 2016

The Global Social Economy Forum was held in Montreal between 7 and 9 of September gathering nearly 1,500 participants from 62 countries, under the theme of “cooperation between local governments and actors of the social economy for the development of inclusive and sustainable cities”. Through discussions on international best practices, the forum contributed to catalysing new collaborations and advancing the understanding of the participants on the global social economy movement. The Declaration adopted at the Forum is available in English, French, and Spanish. The videos from the forum are also shared through SSE Collective Brain, a communication platform with former participants of ILO’s SSE Academy.

Noteworthy Resources

Values: How to bring values to life in your business

By Ed Mayo

This book presents a range of best practices from around the world, including “profit with purpose” businesses such as cooperatives. In this book Ed Mayo identifies both the challenges and the potential of bringing values into an organization. He presents how values can become a natural part of commercial life setting forth a series of practical examples from a bank that responds to an ethical crisis to a fast-growing worker cooperative founded on the values of equality.

The Co-operative Firm Keywords

Edited by Andrea Bernardi and Salvatore Monni

This is a compendium on contemporary issues around cooperatives reflecting an Italian perspective. Starting with a preface by the Minister of Labour of Italy, Giuliano Poletti, the volume includes a number of chapters pertinent to the world of work including workers’ buyouts and labour and participation to labour productivity and safety and well-being.