Unpacking the social and solidarity economy in Australia and beyond: ILO shares international perspectives

GENEVA (ILO News) – On 25 August 2025, the ILO contributed to the webinar on “Unpacking the Social Economy,” which was hosted by Co-operative Bonds and Social Enterprise Australia and funded under the Australian Government’s Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI). The event explored how the social and solidarity economy (SSE) can provide inclusive and democratic solutions to today’s social, economic and environmental challenges in Australia, the wider Asia and the Pacific region and around the world.

Head of the ILO’s Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit and Chair of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy, explained what the SSE encompasses, drawing on tripartite agreed definition of the SSE in the ILO’s 2022 Resolution concerning decent work and the social and solidarity economy, and shared insights on why the SSE matters and its relevance for Australia and the wider Asia and the Pacific region.

She underlined that periods of systemic stress, among them demographic shifts, rapid ageing, large-scale migration and displacement, cascading climate crises, digital transformation, and the erosion of trust in institutions, intensify the demand for credible alternatives that can bring stability and fairness into daily life. The SSE entities can act as ‘schools of democracy’ by involving people directly in economic decision-making. They enable people to co-determine the institutions and rules that shape their livelihoods, expanding democratic practice into the realm of economic democracy.

© ILO

© ILO

She highlighted Australia’s long history of cooperation, from Indigenous collective traditions to the country’s extensive cooperative and mutual sector. This ecosystem today serves millions of Australians and includes tens of thousands of entities across finance, housing, care, agriculture, renewable energy and social services. Trade unions in Australia have also historically worked alongside cooperatives, and the SSE can provide new avenues for collaboration — from securing rights in platform work to advancing decent work in the care economy, she noted.

Looking beyond Australia, Ms. Esim drew attention to SSE initiatives in the Pacific that are finding collective responses to the realities of small island states — limited markets, fragile ecosystems and scarce employment opportunities. She underlined the potential for “mutual learning and solidarity” between Indigenous Australian and Pacific community SSE initiatives and pointed to practical pathways such as cooperative-to-cooperative trade, peer learning on governance, finance, market access and climate resilience. She shared the example of participatory mapping assessments with ILO tripartite partners and SSE actors that were undertaken in Southeast and East Asia contexts that can inform national action plans on policy, education, legal reform and financing for the SSE.

Contributions from other speakers highlighted concrete examples and practical lessons from Australia. Michael Pilbrow of Strategic Development Group shared examples of mutual models from across Australia and key lessons from regional implementation, including insights from the Care Together programme of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, which is Australia’s first co-operative and mutual enterprise support program in social care. Richard Warner of Nundah Community Enterprises Co-operative presented an award-winning model led by persons with disabilities, demonstrating how inclusive cooperatives can generate local employment and strengthen community participation.

The session concluded with calls to build on existing initiatives, deepen regional and international exchange, and ensure that SSE entities are supported through conducive policy environments and fair competition alongside other enterprises.