Cooperatives and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Contribution to the Post-2015 Development Debate. A policy brief

This brief summarizes the main findings of a forthcoming report of the same title, by Frederick O. Wanyama of Maseno University in Kenya, prepared as part of ILO’s contribution to the initiative on the contribution of cooperatives to sustainable development.

Sustainability is recognized as one of the five pillars of the International Co-operative Alliance’s (ICA) Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade, which aims to position cooperatives as builders of economic, social and environmental sustainability by 2020. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) highlighted decent work as a central goal and driver for sustainable development and a more environmentally sustainable economy.

In order to bring cooperative voices into the discussion around the post-2015 development agenda, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and ICA has launched an initiative on the contribution of cooperatives to sustainable development. This brief summarizes the main findings of a forthcoming report of the same title, by Frederick O. Wanyama of Maseno University in Kenya, prepared as part of ILO’s contribution to this initiative.