Publications and tools on cooperatives

ILO COOP/SSE eNewsUpdate Issue No. 15, March, 2021

01 April 2021

Every month, the ILO COOP/SSE eNewsletter highlights recent news and developments on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy and partners.

Statistics of Cooperatives: Concepts, classification, work and economic contribution measurements

12 November 2020

This book on statistics of cooperatives is a joint initiative of the International Labour Office (ILO), Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Centre of Research and Information on Public, Social and Cooperative Economy (CIRIEC). It brings together updated versions of four background studies produced for the ILO and COPAC in the process leading up to the adoption of the Guidelines concerning statistics of cooperatives at the 20th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in October 2018. Together with the guidelines, the book is intended to help statisticians to capture more information on key trends and challenges in the world of cooperatives. This publication is celebrated during the ILO COOP 100 Symposium.

Rokin Banks’ responses to the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan

30 September 2020

Like any other country, the population and economy of Japan are badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The preliminary figures for real GDP in the second quarter of 2020 show a decline of 7.8%. Rokin Banks (a network of 13 union-led cooperative financial institutions) are well positioned to provide support and protect the livelihoods of workers and their families, given their 70-year-experience in building an inclusive society and advancing financial inclusion of workers. Read about the special measures that Rokin Banks have recently introduced in this short brief.

Start.COOP - A step-by-step tool to start-up a cooperative - Facilitator's Guide

06 August 2020

Start.COOP is a low-cost, easy to use tool for those interested in starting and launching a cooperative in a participatory manner. It draws on technical content from existing materials in different ILO cooperative training tools. It also uses a peer-to-peer, activity-based learning methodology from the ILO’s Community-Based Enterprise Development (C-BED) programme. Start.Coop package contains: a training guide, a facilitator’s guide and two power point presentations that can be used for training of facilitators and direct beneficiaries.
Start.COOP - a Step-by-step tool to start up a cooperative - Training Guide

06 August 2020

Start.COOP is a low-cost, easy to use tool for those interested in starting and launching a cooperative in a participatory manner. It draws on technical content from existing materials in different ILO cooperative training tools. It also uses a peer-to-peer, activity-based learning methodology from the ILO’s Community-Based Enterprise Development (C-BED) programme. Start.Coop package contains: a training guide, a facilitator’s guide and two power point presentations that can be used for training of facilitators and direct beneficiaries.

Transforming our world: A cooperative 2030 - Cooperative contributions to SDG 17

25 June 2020

This brief is part of the Transforming our world: A cooperative 2030 series produced by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC). Through a series of 17 briefs, one for each Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), COPAC hopes to raise awareness about the significant contributions of cooperative enterprises towards achieving the 2030 Agenda in a sustainable, inclusive and responsible way, and encourage continued support for their efforts. This brief focuses on SDG 17 – on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development.
UNTFSSE statement on “What role for the Social and Solidarity Economy in the post COVID-19 crisis recovery?”

23 June 2020

Produced by the members and observers of the UNTFSSE, the statement reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of the social and solidarity economy in post COVID-19 recovery.

Mapping responses by cooperatives and social and solidarity economy organizations to forced displacement

27 April 2020

Produced as part of a wider programme on responding to forced displacement crises, the report identifies good practices, lessons learned and potential areas of innovation by cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy organizations working in displacement contexts.

Public Policies for the Social and Solidarity Economy and their role in the Future of Work: The case of Tunisia

31 March 2020

This paper studies the case of Tunisia, where a draft framework law on SSE has been formulated and supported by a tripartite process with ILO assistance. This paper aims to describe and explain the overall context and the evolution, from an historical and institutional standpoint, of the process that has fostered a more favorable policy framework. Moreover, it tackles the topic of the role that SSE can play in addressing the challenges of Future of Work in Tunisia.
The contribution of SSE and social finance to the future of work

23 March 2020

This publication is the result of a research project undertaken in collaboration between the ILO Cooperatives Unit and Social Finance Programme, with support from the Government of France. The research analyses various Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) initiatives around the world in light of the changes observed in the world of work. The research results highlight that regardless of the countries or the type of SSE organizations, SSE and its innovative financing mechanisms present a potential for creating and preserving decent jobs, creating wealth, reducing social inequalities, and advancing local development.

ILO