Since 2020, the ILO has been supporting the government and cooperative movement of Jordan in the development of a national cooperative development strategy through the Partnership for improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities (PROSPECTS) and its Cooperatives Unit . This national strategy seeks to build a prosperous, autonomous, inclusive and self-reliant cooperative movement that observes universal cooperative values and principles, and contributes effectively and significantly to the sustainable development of the Jordanian society.

In the framework of this initiative, an awareness raising session on the Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (193) was organized for the members of the National Steering Committee. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy of the UAE, who will be undertaken a cooperatives legislation review with the support of the ILO, were also invited to the awareness-raising session. A total of 26 participants benefited from the experiences of an expert on cooperative law. Hagen Henrÿ walked participants through the main principles of ILO Recommendation 193 and explained how these principles are best reflected in national cooperative policy and legislation.

The session started with a historical overview of cooperatives, the establishment of the International Cooperative Alliance and the adoption of ILO Recommendation 193, an international labour standard on the promotion of cooperatives, that has served as a guide for reform of cooperative policies and legislations for more than 110 countries around the world since its adoption. The role of cooperatives in providing direct and indirect employment to around 10 per cent of the employed population worldwide was also highlighted to show the importance of cooperatives as employment providers and therefore their responsibility to comply with workers’ rights.

Hagen Henrÿ explained central elements of the Recommendation such as the principle of equal treatment with respect to other enterprises and social organizations; support measures introduced by the government in regards to tax benefits; and the promotion of education and training in cooperative principles and practices at all levels. He emphasized the importance of undertaking a comprehensive approach while developing cooperative policies and legislation and their elements, by taking into account other policies and laws that may be hampering cooperative development. He noted that international legal instruments should also be taken into consideration given the increasing participation of cooperatives in global supply chains. He pointed out to the role cooperatives can play in the transition from the informal to the formal economy.

During the interaction with the participants, a range of issues were discussed including: The importance of statistics to measure the economic contribution of cooperatives; the need for leadership political will toward advancing cooperatives; the nature of partnerships between the cooperatives, social partners, governments and other civil society actors; the boundaries for independent cooperative movement without interference of the government; and the vertical integration role played by cooperative unions and federations.