The International Institute for Management Development MBA class engages with the ILO on the social and solidarity economy

The visit was led by Sophie Bacq, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship. The event began with Remo Becci, Unit Chief of Records and Archives Management Services, providing a comprehensive overview of the milestones in the ILO’s history over more than a century. He highlighted the organization’s unique tripartite structure, its normative mandate and its various functions aimed at promoting social justice and decent work in an evolving international context.

Mansour Omeira, Social Innovation Specialist at the Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit, who also serves on the secretariat of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on SSE, provided an in-depth presentation on the topic. He highlighted the ILO’s leading role and the growing international support since its adoption of the Resolution concerning decent work and the SSE in June 2022. He also offered an overview of evolving policy and legislation and the ILO's efforts to support them, as well as to support SSE capacity development and to elaborate international guidelines on SSE statistics.

Omeira outlined the defining characteristics of the SSE and its contributions, using social enterprises as a starting point. He emphasized the need for a conducive environment consistent with the nature and diversity of the SSE and for ensuring that SSE values and principles are realized, noting that they can also inspire other enterprises. Contextualizing the SSE into broader efforts to promote sustainable enterprises, he connected impact measurement at the enterprise level with decent work measurement at the societal level. Reflecting an integrative systemic perspective, he highlighted the importance of bridging scholarship, policy and practice.

The interactive session saw students connecting the topics to their professional and personal experiences, sharing their diverse perspectives and raising stimulating questions about the practical challenges and opportunities in advancing the sustainable development agenda.