Resources on cooperatives

  1. The SSE Momentum: Finance for Inclusion and the Future of Work

    27 November 2019

    The international conference brought together around 100 participants to discuss the role of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and supporting financial mechanisms in promoting decent work and sustainable development.

  2. The SSE Momentum: Finance for Inclusion and the Future of Work

    This international conference will be organized by the ILO in Trento, Italy from 18 to 20 November 2019 to present the findings from two international research projects on the role of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and social finance in shaping a future of work. The two projects are funded by the Government of France and the Government of Luxembourg.

  3. Call for expression of interest: Documenting emerging business and organizing models among self-employed workers engaged in the platform economy

    31 July 2019

  4. ApexFinCoop - Strengthening the apex organization of financial cooperatives in Nepal

    28 June 2019

    The ILO, the ITC-ILO and the FAO jointly organized a training workshop for the Nepal Federation of Savings and Credit Unions (NEFSCUN) towards promoting financial inclusion and inclusive economic development.

  5. Social Finance Working Paper #76: Rokin Banks - 70 years of efforts to build an inclusive society in Japan through enhancing workers’ access to finance

    01 May 2019

    This working paper documents the experience of Japanese union-led cooperative financial institutions and trade unions in enhancing workers’ access to finance. The working paper highlights 70 years of experience of Rokin Banks in providing access to finance for workers, and in particular low income workers. The paper reviews the factors that contributed to the success and longevity of the model as well as the strategies that Rokin Banks chose to address the challenges of a changing labour movement, a changing world of work, and a highly competitive financial sector. This working paper was produced in close collaboration with the National Association of Labour Banks in Japan and the ILO Office for Japan.

  6. CLIMBS: Extending mutual protection and building resilience in the Philippines

    26 February 2019

    “Spotlight Interviews with Co-operators” is a series of interviews with co-operators from around the world with whom ILO officials have crossed paths during the course of their work on cooperatives and social and solidarity economy (SSE). On this occasion, ILO interviewed Mr Noel Raboy, President and CEO in CLIMBS, a composite insurance cooperative owned by 4,000 member cooperatives from around the Philippines.

  7. Brochure: ApexFinCoop - Advance Policy and Effectiveness for Financial Cooperative Apexes

    01 February 2019

    ApexFinCoop training programme was developed by the ILO, the ITC-ILO and the FAO to support financial cooperative apex organizations in developing and implementing an effective strategic planning, with the objective of fulfilling their functions over the long term in a cost-effective way, to the satisfaction of their members.

  8. Enterprises Newsflash No.12

    21 December 2018

  9. Piloting ApexFinCoop - a training programme for financial cooperatives' apex organizations in Ghana

    14 December 2017

    As principle-driven and member-owned businesses, financial cooperatives are among the key institutions to advance financial inclusion particularly in rural areas and for those who face challenges in accessing these services through other types of financial service providers. ILO, ITC-ILO and FAO held a workshop to test and validate a training programme for financial cooperatives apex organizations.

  10. Rokin Labour Banks: Financial cooperatives for workers in Japan

    31 October 2017

    "Spotlight Interviews with Cooperators" is a series of interviews with cooperative leaders from around the world with whom ILO officials have crossed paths during the course of their work with cooperatives. For this issue ILO interviewed Mr Toshihiro Akahori, Deputy General Manager, Planning and International Department of National Association of Labour Banks (NALB) in Japan. Prior to joining NALB in 2015, he worked at Shizuoka Rokin Labour Bank in Shizuoka Prefecture from 1997 to 2015.