ILO Cooperatives Unit Manager, Simel Esim, and ILO Consultant on Sustainable Enterprises, Luisa Fernanda Moreno, were in Colombia during the week of August 27 to participate in the 17th National Cooperative Congress of the Confederation of Cooperatives of Colombia (Confecoop) in Cartagena. Ms Esim spoke at the conference on the role of cooperatives in achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a specific focus on advancing decent work in rural economies and in post-conflict contexts. She also pointed out to the emergence of new types of cooperatives in the changing world of work, especially among youth, such as those in social, cultural and creative industries and the digital economy. She underlined the need for a supportive enabling environment with policies and institutions that can educate and finance such initiatives.

More than a 1,000 cooperative leaders from around the country participated in the event which focused on creating a culture of cooperation, solidarity and mutual aid through cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy enterprises for a more inclusive economy.


Ms Esim and Ms Moreno also undertook a series of meetings in Bogota and in Cartagena with UN agencies and ILO partners such as Confecoop and ECOMUN (Economías Sociales del Común) among others on advancing decent work in the rural and informal economies through cooperatives in post-conflict Colombia.