The International Labour Organization (ILO) welcomes the new UN resolution on social and solidarity economy with a new web portal on SSE. All its projects, publications and activities related to the social and solidarity economy can be consulted at: http://ilo.org/sse
Since its creation in 1919, the ILO has recognized the importance of cooperatives as a means to fulfil its mandate to achieve social justice and full employment. The ILO Cooperatives Unit was created as a formal entity within the ILO only one year after the creation of the ILO in 1920.
Today, ILO activities on cooperatives and social and solidarity economy enterprises (SSE) are managed by the Enterprise Department and are governed by the international standard on cooperatives, the Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193).
It aims to promote cooperatives and other social economy entities as economically, socially and environmentally viable and responsible business options, particularly where they play an important role or provide services that are not otherwise provided, with a view to a sustainable future of work.
A global recognition
ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, has welcomed the new UN Resolution on promoting the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development, passed by the United Nations General Assembly.
“The social and solidarity economy is now, rightfully, getting global recognition for the part it can play in shaping a sustainable, just and resilient future for us all,” said Houngbo. “This UN Resolution shows that momentum is building behind this idea, and we must seize the moment. That’s why the ILO proposes setting up a Global Coalition for Social Justice. A broad, healthy social and solidarity economy can play an important role in reducing inequalities and spreading prosperity, opportunity and sustainability. At the same time, it can help create a virtuous circle, bringing greater awareness of the need for social justice, which in turn will encourage the systemic changes we need for the social and solidarity economy to flourish.”
