Document

ILO resources on crisis responses by cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy (SSE)

06 April 2020

Historically, during periods of crises, the value of cooperation, solidarity, and mutualism experience an increase in popularity. It is also during such times that there is a surge in membership and turnover of cooperatives and the wider SSE. This was the case during and in the aftermath of the 2007-8 global financial crisis, and the 2001-2 crisis in Argentina.

COVID-19: Supporting employment and incomes

Five things SMEs need to survive COVID-19

03 April 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak has hit Small and Medium Enterprises and their workers hard. So what do SMEs need and what has worked in previous calamities to help them survive? Here are our top five policy options.

ILO COOP 100 Interview

Interview with Sifa Chiyoge, International Cooperative Alliance Africa Regional Director

02 April 2020

ILO COOP 100 Interview series features past and present ILO colleagues and key partners who have closely engaged with the ILO's work on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy (SSE). The interviews reflect on their experience and contributions in the past and shares their thoughts on the future of cooperatives and the SSE in a changing world of work. For this issue, we interviewed Sifa Chiyoge, the Director of International Cooperative Alliance Africa region. She reflected on her years of work on cooperatives, including with governments, higher education institutions, NGOs as well as with the cooperative movement in the region. She shared with us her thoughts on the historical trajectory of cooperatives in Africa, priorities, challenges and prospects in the face of the crises and changes taking place in the world of work.

News

Extending Micro Finance Services to Refugees and Host Communities in Kenya

01 April 2020

In December 2019, the ILO working closely with UNHCR organized a scoping mission to the 2 refugee camps in Kenya (Kakuma and Dadaab) to enable five Kenyan Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) to assess business viability in the refugee hosting areas.

Working paper

EPUB Environmental integrity and doing business in Zimbabwe: Challenges and engagement of sustainable enterprises

01 April 2020

The objective of this paper is to explore the views of different groups of the business community, including workers, managers and owners of the formal as well as of the informal economy, on how environmental integrity is being pursued in Zimbabwe. Both quantitative and qualitative/interpretative methods have been applied. The paper concludes suggesting actions that the private sector can adopt to improve the existing situation and further strengthen its engagement towards environmental integrity in the country.

Working paper

Environmental integrity and doing business in Zimbabwe: Challenges and engagement of sustainable enterprises

01 April 2020

The objective of this paper is to explore the views of different groups of the business community, including workers, managers and owners of the formal as well as of the informal economy, on how environmental integrity is being pursued in Zimbabwe. Both quantitative and qualitative/interpretative methods have been applied. The paper concludes suggesting actions that the private sector can adopt to improve the existing situation and further strengthen its engagement towards environmental integrity in the country.

News

Cooperatives and SSE enterprises respond to COVID-19 disruptions, while governments are also starting to integrate them in their measures

31 March 2020

Cooperatives and other SSE enterprises around the world are being affected by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways to protect workers, members, users and wider communities. While some governments have begun to integrate cooperatives, their members, workers and the wider SSE in their emergency response strategies, there is still room for growth.

Publication

Public Policies for the Social and Solidarity Economy and their role in the Future of Work: The case of Tunisia

31 March 2020

This paper studies the case of Tunisia, where a draft framework law on SSE has been formulated and supported by a tripartite process with ILO assistance. This paper aims to describe and explain the overall context and the evolution, from an historical and institutional standpoint, of the process that has fostered a more favorable policy framework. Moreover, it tackles the topic of the role that SSE can play in addressing the challenges of Future of Work in Tunisia.

News

ILO COOP eNewsUpdate Issue No. 3, March 2020

31 March 2020

Publication

Improving Safety and Health in Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: An overview of initiatives and delivery mechanisms

31 March 2020

This report focuses on micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and their specific characteristics that are likely to have an impact on occupational safety and health (OSH) outcomes.