History of the Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit

Established by a decision of the ILO’s Governing Body at its third session in March 1920, the Cooperatives Unit marked its centenary in 2020. In 2024, it was renamed the Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit to reflect its broadened mandate. This page highlights the Unit’s rich history and features key activities and publications from the centenary celebrations.

31 January 2020

Content also available in: español français

Establishment of ILO COOP/SSE
Photo competition & slideshows
ILO COOP 100 Symposium
ILO COOP 100 Webinars
ILO COOP 100 Interviews
ILO COOP Chiefs across time
ILO COOP 100 videos
Useful databases

Establishment of ILO COOP/SSE

The ILO’s Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP/SSE) turned 105 on 23 March 2025. The Section of Co-operation, as it was called in 1920, was part of the Director Albert Thomas’s proposal for the organization of the Office. He presented his proposal during the second session of the Governing Body (GB) in Paris, in January 1920. In his proposal, he wrote:

Albert Thomas

“The last Section which we actually have in mind would be the Section of Co-operation. The Peace Treaty requires that the International Labour Office should not only concern itself with conditions of work, but also with the condition of the workers. It is in the form of co-operation that this idea is best seen in popular circles. The Section on Co-operation would not limit itself only to food questions; it might also study conditions of housing, (…). Moreover, co-operation already constitutes an important international movement with which the Office must necessarily concern itself in its own interests.”

This proposal was adopted unanimously during the third session of the GB in London on 23 March 1920. Georges Fauquet was then appointed as the first Chief of the ILO's Section of Co-operation in June 1920.

Photo competition & slideshows

In early 2020, the ILO launched a call for photos toward a series of ILO COOP 100 Photo Exhibitions to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its Cooperatives Unit (COOP). Following the deadline for submission (June 22), a total of 379 photos were received from 37 organizations in 33 countries across five continents. The photos underwent a selection process based on a number of criteria including relevance to the themes, geographical representativeness, and capturing elements of mutualism, solidarity and self-help. The submitted photos are being featured in publications and communications from the ILO, all the while making sure creators are correctly credited for their work. The photo exhibitions took place virtually through the ILO website and social media channels.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow I: Cooperatives provide quality care services

This series of photos feature the contribution of cooperatives and the wider SSE in providing quality care services, from childcare and eldercare to care for persons living with disability or illness.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow II: Cooperatives help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG2

This series of photos feature the contribution of cooperatives and the wider SSE in helping achieve the SDGs, starting with SDG2 on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow III: Cooperatives help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG5

The third in the series of slideshows focuses on SDG5 toward achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow IV: Cooperatives help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG8

The fourth in the series of slideshows focuses on SDG8 toward promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow V: Cooperative Principle 3: Participation

The cooperative principles are guidelines by which cooperatives put their values into practice. The fifth in the series of slideshows for ILO COOP 100 focuses on the third cooperative principle on Member Economic Participation. Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow VI: Cooperative Principle 5: Education, Training, and Information

The sixth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative principle five on education training and information. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow VII: Cooperative Principle 7: Concern for community

The seventh in the series of slideshows highlights the seventh cooperative principle: concern for community. Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow VIII: Cooperatives’ focus on regions: Africa

As part of the ILO COOP 100 photo exhibitions, the ILO is featuring the contributions of cooperatives and the wider SSE to advancing decent work and sustainable development. The eighth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative and wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) enterprises in Africa.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow IX: Cooperatives' focus on regions: Asia

As part of the ILO COOP 100 photo exhibitions, the ILO is featuring the contributions of cooperatives and the wider SSE to advancing decent work and sustainable development. The ninth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative and wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) enterprises in Asia.

ILO COOP 100 Slideshow X: Cooperatives' focus on regions: Americas

As part of the ILO COOP 100 photo exhibitions, the ILO is featuring the contributions of cooperatives and the wider SSE to advancing decent work and sustainable development. The tenth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative action in the Americas.

An Update on the ILO COOP 100 Photo Exhibit Submissions

ILO COOP 100 Symposium (16 & 17 Nov. 2020)

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Cooperatives Unit (COOP), the ILO brought together scholars and practitioners working with governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) for a two-day international symposium.

The Symposium was live streamed on Youtube livestream:

English Day 1 and Day 2
French Day 1 and Day 2
Spanish Day 1 and Day 2

Check updated agenda here

For more details including a call for papers, please see here

An update on ILO COOP 100 Symposium Paper Submissions

ILO COOP 100 Webinars

As part of its centenary celebrations, ILO’s Cooperatives Unit is holding a series of webinars highlighting key areas of work on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy.

ILO COOP 100 Interviews

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.

An Update on ILO COOP 100 Interview Series

Podcast Interview with Anna Biondi, Deputy Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV)

Anna Biondi, Deputy Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV), was interviewed by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) for the first episode of its podcast series. She reflects on the historical relationship between cooperatives and trade unions and on the challenges and opportunities for cooperative enterprises in advancing decent work.

ILO COOP/SSE Chiefs across time

Across the century ILO DG’s have appointed 12 officials to lead the work of the organization on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy. These were almost all staff members coming from within the ranks of the organization having worked in different capacities in the field and headquarters before leading the cooperatives and wider social and solidarity economy portfolio in the office. In the transition between the appointment of the COOP managers, there were several instances of Officers-in-Charge who were temporarily delegated responsibilities of leading this portfolio in the interim.

Useful databases

NATLEX is the ILO's database featuring national laws on labour, social security and related human rights. You can find over a thousand cooperative laws at your fingertips on NATLEX going as far back as a century. Check it out here.

Labordoc provides online access to all ILO publications, including guides and manuals, reports, working papers and ILO journals. ILO meeting documents, including documents of the International Labour Conference, Governing Body, Regional and other meetings are also easily accessible through Labordoc. There are close to 10,000 entries on cooperatives on Labordoc. The search can be further nuanced by using keywords, type of resource, language, publication date and more. See here.

You can discover e-books, journal articles and other publications across hundreds of databases as well as the ILO Library's collections through LabourDiscovery. Check out over 70,000 items on cooperatives here.