An observance of the 2019 International Day of Cooperatives at the UN in New York

On the occasions of the ILO Centenary, the theme for this year’s International Day of Cooperatives focused on “cooperatives for decent work” as determined by COPAC. This theme is closely linked to SDG8 which is being reviewed at the 2019 High-level Political Forum.

The observance was aimed to discuss the role of cooperatives in promoting inclusive development and decent work and ways to enhance their effectiveness. It brought together representatives from governments, cooperatives and civil society organizations in addition to COPAC members, i.e. the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the World Farmers’ Organization (WFO), and the ILO as the current chair.

In the opening session, H.E. Amrit Bahadur Rai, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN and H.E. Sukhbold Sukhee, Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the UN provided key note speeches reflecting on experiences of cooperatives in their respective countries. Mr Rai mentioned Nepal’s long cultural tradition of informal community-based cooperatives (e.g. savings and credit unions, grain savings and labour pooling systems) and the fact that cooperatives are recognized as a distinct pillar of the national economy along with public and private sectors. He highlighted the role of cooperatives in advancing livelihoods particularly for marginalized people who are excluded from benefits accrued by shareholder model of private enteprises. He highlighted how cooperatives develop skills of their members and communities to tap into opportunities in the changing world of work. Mr Sukhee pointed out that in Mongolia many micro, small and medium enterprises supported by the government’s employment promotion projects are in fact community-based cooperatives. In this regard he emphasized the key role cooperatives play in incubating micro and small businesses.

Mr Matthieu Cognac Mr Matthieu Cognac at ILO Office for the United Nations in New York moderated the last session of the event. In his intervention, he reflected on the long partnership between the ILO and the cooperative movement and the relevance of cooperative values and principles such as democracy and equal participation to the work of the ILO. He also highlighted the role of cooperatives in developing businesses, providing affordable goods and services and representing voice for workers in rural and informal economies. He mentioned key, recent ILO resources that refer to cooperatives including the ILO Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204) and the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work. He concluded his remarks by touching on the growing request from ILO constituents to work on social and solidarity economy, an umbrella concept for different types of enterprises and organizations including cooperatives that produce goods and services not only for economic returns but also for social and/or environmental objectives.

The recorded video of the event is available here.