Slideshow – International Day of Cooperatives
“Cooperatives ensure no one is left behind”
This year, the theme of International Day of Cooperatives focuses on inclusion: “Cooperatives ensure no one is left behind”.
This year, the theme of International Day of Cooperatives focuses on inclusion: “Cooperatives ensure no one is left behind”.
© USAID Nepal - A cooperative in eastern Nepal producing organic tea
In a statement on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives 2017, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder says cooperatives can play a key role in promoting more inclusive societies and economies.
© Martine Perret / UN - A coffee handler with coffee beans from a cooperative in Timor-Leste
People living in rural areas benefit from cooperative services, ranging from finance and skills training to water and sanitation. An ILO project in Tunisia has helped women become financially independent.
© Marcel Crozet / ILO - Women from Kesra producing juices and jams
Cooperatives enable people to draw themselves out of poverty by generating collective voice, negotiation power and economies of scale.
© ILO - Bag making in rural Bangladesh
In a number of countries women’s employment in cooperatives is higher than their overall labour force participation.
© Joe Saade / UN Women - Traditional bread-making by a women cooperative in Lebanon
The ILO views cooperatives as instrumental in improving livelihoods and providing much-needed infrastructure and services for communities – even in remote areas.
© Pradip Shakya / ILO - Gurung women, Nepal
ILO activities are guided by the international standard on cooperatives, the ILO Recommendation on the Promotion of Cooperatives, 2002 (No.193), which has inspired over 100 countries in reforming and revising cooperative laws and policies.
© ILO - Youth employment in Bangladesh