ILO holds discussion on pathways to strengthen the social and solidarity economy in Viet Nam

Participants reviewed the key findings and policy recommendations of the study on the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in Viet Nam at a hybrid meeting on June 7, 2024. Participants included representatives from the government, employers’, and workers’ organizations.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Ingrid Christensen, Director of Country Office for ILO Hanoi stated the objective of the meeting is to receive feedback on the draft findings of the study on the social and solidarity economy in Viet Nam. She noted that the study is the first of its kind in Viet Nam that maps social and solidarity economy entities and explores how these entities contribute to decent work and sustainable development. Ms. Christensen remarked that concrete actions based on the study findings can contribute towards realizing Viet Nam’s Decent Work Country Programme 2022-26 and future interventions in Viet Nam.

Ms. Heejin Ahn, Technical Officer in ILO Bangkok informed the participants that the regional workshop “Social and Solidarity Economy for Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia” will take place Bangkok, Thailand and online on 18-19 June 2024, where study findings from four countries, including Viet Nam, will be presented.

Mr. Giang Chu, Vietnam Cooperative Alliance and national consultant for the study presented the preliminary findings of the study. He stated that the social and solidarity economy in Viet Nam comprise of cooperatives, social enterprises, people’s credit funds, associations, self-help groups and other entities that operate according to values and principles of the social and solidarity economy, as per the ILC and UN definition.

Mr. Chu noted that the concept ‘collective economy’ is recognized as one of the economic sectors, along with the state, private and foreign invested economy in the 2013 Constitution in Viet Nam. Mr. Chu noted that the collective economy shares common characteristics with the social and solidarity economy, and is a policy priority, as shown by the Law on Cooperatives which was adapted in 2023 to support the development and operation of cooperatives in line with the ILO’s Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation 193.

Ms. Oanh Kieu Pham, Founder and the Director of the Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion, and national consultant for the study said that the results of the survey of SSE entities revealed lack of funding and access to business development services as the most pressing challenges.

Mr. Chu stated that while the SSE entities in Viet Nam operate in all sectors of the economy, and contribute to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the SSE entities face challenges, including lack of compliance with the provision of the Law, weak internal capacity and competitiveness and outdated technology. To strengthen the SSE in Thailand, Mr. Chu and Ms. Pham shared preliminary recommendations to the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, national SSE movements and development partners, including the UN agencies in general and the ILO in particular. The recommendations include:

• establishing a clear and comprehensive legal and regulatory framework,
• enhancing access to finance and resources,
• promoting public awareness, and understanding,
• strengthening skills and business development services,
• strengthening the capacity of SSE entities,
• promoting partnership between SSE entities and private companies and
• fostering collaboration and networking among SSE entities and beyond.

A round of question and answer and open discussion ensued the presentations. Participants recommended developing a roadmap to operationalize the policy recommendations. All participants expressed interest in promoting the SSE in partnership with key stakeholders, including the ILO.