All news: social and solidarity economy

Digitalization

Indonesia–Switzerland dairy exchange showcases digital innovation to boost smallholder productivity

ILO facilitates hands-on learning between cooperatives and Swiss farmers to accelerate digital transformation in the dairy sector.

Press Release

Investing in care: New partnership to expand jobs, support families, and advance gender equality in Nepal through care cooperatives

A new partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCF) is set to strengthen care services, create decent jobs, and unlock greater economic opportunities for women across Nepal.

ILO and KSTL support informal workers through outreach and training in Timor-Leste

Community outreach and training in Aileu Municipality helped informal workers organize, access social protection and build more secure livelihoods in Timor-Leste.

Global Accelerator

Uzbekistan explores care provision through cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy

An ILO workshop in Uzbekistan examined how cooperatives and other social economy entities can provide inclusive and community-based care services.

Sustainable development

Haiti: Participatory planning lays the foundations for peace and livelihoods in Artibonite

Communities in Haiti’s Artibonite department come together for a three-day participatory planning process to shape a new ILO and WFP initiative, supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, which links livelihoods, decent work and...

Social and solidarity economy highlighted at high-level conference on Global Roadmap for a New Economy

At a high-level conference on Global Roadmap for a New Economy, participants discussed policy approaches to eradicating poverty and advancing well-being. The social and solidarity economy was highlighted as a pathway for decent work, social justice...

Saudi Arabia strengthens national capacities in cooperative development

Saudi Arabia is strengthening its national capacities to promote cooperatives by building a pool of certified cooperative trainers to expand access to locally delivered training and advisory services across the country.

PROSPECTS Impact

Climate solutions drive dairy livelihoods for refugee and host communities in Ethiopia

A partnership led by the ILO is helping refugee and host communities in Ethiopia’s Somali Region increase incomes and build resilience through climate-smart dairy solutions.

Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators

Measuring the social and solidarity economy: Insights from Costa Rica’s experience

Mario Durán Fernández, National Director of Social and Solidarity Economy at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, shares insights on challenges and key aspects in advancing reliable and comparable statistics on the social and solidarity...

Cooperatives create new livelihood pathways for informal workers in India

A cooperative approach to enterprise development could unlock opportunities and deliver decent work, particularly in the care sector in Bihar, India.

Child labour

ILO strengthens cooperatives to help eliminate child labour in Kenya’s tea and coffee supply chains

In March 2026, the ILO's ACCEL Africa project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands trained 52 local trainers across key tea and coffee counties. By building institutional capacity and embedding child labour prevention into...

Ghana’s shea sector signs landmark collective bargaining agreement

The Ghana Shea Employers Association and the Ghana Shea Workers Union have signed their first Collective Bargaining Agreement, advancing decent work, productivity, and social justice across the shea value chain.

After the typhoons: Embedding employment and resilience in Viet Nam’s disaster recovery systems

When back-to-back typhoons devastated northern and central Viet Nam, the ILO worked alongside farmers, cooperative workers, and local governments to help communities recover - and to prepare for the next typhoon.

Mauritania moves to unlock the potential of the Social and Solidarity Economy

On 26 January 2026, over 80 participants met in Nouakchott to validate Mauritania’s National Study on the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE). The study maps stakeholders, identifies high-potential supply chains and recommends measures to strengthen...

Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators

Statistics should serve as an entry point for dialogue and cooperation rather than a conclusion

Augustin Morel, Project Manager at the Walloon Social Economy Observatory (Belgium) reflects on the challenges of producing reliable and meaningful statistics on the social and solidarity economy (SSE). He highlights that data can support collective...

World Day of Social Justice event spotlights business with social purpose and a viable social and solidarity economy

On the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice, the event in Turin focused on the role of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in organizing production and services to deliver livelihoods, equality and rights, especially in times of crises.

New policy brief highlights the social and solidarity economy as key to poverty eradication beyond growth

The brief examines how the social and solidarity economy (SSE) can serve as a partner and delivery mechanism for advancing the human rights economy, and identifies policy levers and actions that can strengthen the conducive environment for the SSE.

Advancing a Global Statistical Framework for the Social and Solidarity Economy

12th Mont Blanc Meeting explores pathways to a sustainable and sovereign future through the social and solidarity economy

The 12th edition of the Mont Blanc Meetings, as organized by the SSE International Forum, positioned the social and solidarity economy at the heart of global efforts to build a sustainable and sovereign future. Convening representatives from the ILO...

Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators

Interview with Ian Adderley, Technical Specialist, Mutual Societies Development Unit of the Financial Conduct Authority (UK)

“Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators” is a series of interviews with co-operators and social and solidarity economy (SSE) actors from around the world with whom ILO officials have crossed paths during the course of their work on the cooperative,...