Summary
Highlights
The International Labor Organization (ILO) recognizes cooperatives' importance in achieving social justice and full employment, aligning with its mandate since 1919. The ILO's centenary in 2019 focuses on building future work on decent work standards, which is tied to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda aims to eradicate poverty and achieve 17 universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), integrating economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
While cooperatives support the triple bottom line of the 2030 Agenda, there are no specific targets for them within the SDGs. However, cooperatives are recognized as a means of implementation. The 'Co-ops for 2030' campaign by the International Cooperative Alliance aims to integrate cooperatives into SDG efforts, encouraging pledges and reporting. The 2018 World Cooperative Monitor also analyzed the contributions of top cooperatives to the SDGs. The ILO has launched briefs and surveys to explore how cooperatives contribute to each of the 17 SDGs, finding that ending poverty (Goal 1) and creating jobs (Goal 8) are priority areas for cooperatives.
SDG 8 emphasizes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The world needs over 600 million new jobs by 2030, and existing jobs require improvement to lift people out of poverty. Cooperatives contribute significantly to SDG 8 by creating stable employment, advocating for social protection, and adhering to international labor standards. They support the livelihoods of nearly half the world's population across various sectors, employing at least 272 million people worldwide, constituting almost 12% of the G20's employed population.
Cooperatives can employ workers in traditional employer-employee relationships, similar to other enterprises. Worker cooperatives offer a unique organizational model where member-worker owners democratically make decisions, promoting flexibility and collaboration. Additionally, many cooperatives support self-employed individuals (e.g., farmers, fishermen) by providing essential tools or services for production and market access, enabling them to compete effectively.
Documenting the impact of cooperatives with solid evidence is crucial to quantify their contributions to the SDGs, members, workers, and the economy. This requires internationally comparable data based on common definitions and frameworks. Despite efforts from cooperative movements and researchers, reliable and comparable statistics on cooperatives have been lacking in most countries. The ILO, in collaboration with the cooperative movement, is developing international guidelines for measuring cooperatives. Resolutions on cooperative statistics were adopted in 2013 and 2018 at International Conferences of Labor Statisticians, and pilot country activities are now being planned.