Resources on cooperatives

  1. © Lakshman Nadaraja/World Bank 2022
    Gender and Climate Change Financing - Why does it matter for Employment, Women's Empowerment and Social Equity Prospects?

    This event is organized within the framework of ILO's Green Centenary Initiative and Women at Work Centenary Initiative.

  2. Tackling informality in e-waste management: The potential of cooperative enterprises

    21 October 2014

    The present paper is the product of a joint effort by the Sectoral Policies Department and the Cooperatives Unit of the International Labour Organization (ILO). This initiative supports the ILO’s commitment to promote forms of employment that safeguard the environment, eradicate poverty and promote social justice through sustainable enterprises and decent work, as reinforced by the international Labour Conference (ILC), at its 102nd session in June 2013.

  3. © Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP 2022
    Message by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder: “Cooperatives for sustainable development"

    05 July 2014

  4. Providing clean energy and energy access through cooperatives

    20 December 2013

    This publication is a collection of case studies on cooperatives in energy production, distribution and consumption as a contribution to the on-going search for ways in which the goal of sustainable Energy for All can be turned into a reality.

  5. Turning computer junk into jobs

    18 January 2013

    Vast amounts of electrical and electronic waste end up in developing countries where the recycling methods are often hazardous. Integrating informal e-waste operations into the formal sector can help make the process safer, according to an ILO study titled "The global impact of e-waste".

  6. Green and fair: Cooperatives in Ethiopia

    19 June 2012

    By their very nature, cooperatives can balance economic, environmental, and social needs. The ILO will be showcasing some of its successful experiences in this field at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). One of them involves more than 200,000 coffee producers and almost 200 cooperatives in Ethiopia.

  7. Managing Your Agricultural Cooperative, “My.COOP”

    10 November 2011

    My.COOP is a training package published in 2011, covering managerial challenges that many agricultural cooperatives face, and based on the idea that strong cooperatives are necessary for a more equitable distribution of income, democracy, and for economic and social development

  8. Mainstreaming environmental issues in sustainable enterprises: An exploration of issues, experiences and options

    21 January 2011

    Employment Working Paper No. 75

  9. What role for labour market policies and institutions in development? Enhancing security in developing countries and emerging economies

    17 December 2010

    Employment Working Paper No. 67