COOP/SSE Unit Centennial Activities
Established through a decision of the third session of the ILO’s Governing Body in March 1920, the ILO marks the Centenary of its Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit in 2020. This page provides highlights on the history of the Unit. It also showcases activities undertaken and products launched during the course of the year in marking this centenary.
- Establishment of ILO COOP/SSE
- Photo competition & slideshows
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Symposium
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinars
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Interviews
- ILO COOP/SSE Chiefs across time
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 videos
- More on the history of ILO COOP/SSE
- Useful databases
Establishment of ILO COOP/SSE
The ILO’s Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP) turns 100 on 23 March 2020. The Section of Co-operation, as it was called then, was part of the Director Albert Thomas’s proposal for the organization of the office. He presented his proposal during the second session of the Governing Body (GB) in Paris, in January 1920. In his proposal, he said:Albert Thomas |
This proposal was adopted unanimously during the third session of the GB in London on 23 March 1920. Georges Fauquet was then appointed as the first Chief of the ILO's Section of Co-operation in June 1920.
Photo competition & slideshows
In early 2020, the ILO launched a call for photos toward a series of ILO COOP/SSE 100 Photo Exhibitions to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP). Following the deadline for submission (June 22), a total of 379 photos were received from 37 organizations in 33 countries across five continents. The photos underwent a selection process based on a number of criteria including relevance to the themes, geographical representativeness, and capturing elements of mutualism, solidarity and self-help. The submitted photos are being featured in publications and communications from the ILO, all the while making sure creators are correctly credited for their work. The photo exhibitions took place virtually through the ILO website and social media channels.ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow I: Cooperatives provide quality care services
This series of photos feature the contribution of cooperatives and the wider SSE in providing quality care services, from childcare and eldercare to care for persons living with disability or illness.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow II: Cooperatives help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG2
This series of photos feature the contribution of cooperatives and the wider SSE in helping achieve the SDGs, starting with SDG2 on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow III: Cooperatives help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG5
The third in the series of slideshows focuses on SDG5 toward achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow IV: Cooperatives help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - SDG8
The fourth in the series of slideshows focuses on SDG8 toward promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow V: Cooperative Principle 3: Participation
The cooperative principles are guidelines by which cooperatives put their values into practice. The fifth in the series of slideshows for ILO COOP 100 focuses on the third cooperative principle on Member Economic Participation. Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow VI: Cooperative Principle 5: Education, Training, and Information
The sixth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative principle five on education training and information. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow VII: Cooperative Principle 7: Concern for community
The seventh in the series of slideshows highlights the seventh cooperative principle: concern for community. Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow VIII: Cooperatives’ focus on regions: Africa
As part of the ILO COOP 100 photo exhibitions, the ILO is featuring the contributions of cooperatives and the wider SSE to advancing decent work and sustainable development. The eighth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative and wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) enterprises in Africa.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow IX: Cooperatives' focus on regions: Asia
As part of the ILO COOP 100 photo exhibitions, the ILO is featuring the contributions of cooperatives and the wider SSE to advancing decent work and sustainable development. The ninth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative and wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) enterprises in Asia.
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Slideshow X: Cooperatives' focus on regions: Americas
As part of the ILO COOP 100 photo exhibitions, the ILO is featuring the contributions of cooperatives and the wider SSE to advancing decent work and sustainable development. The tenth in the series of slideshows highlights cooperative action in the Americas.
An Update on the ILO COOP/SSE 100 Photo Exhibit Submissions
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Symposium (16 & 17 Nov. 2020)
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP/SSE), the ILO brought together scholars and practitioners working with governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) for a two-day international symposium.
The Symposium was live streamed on Youtube livestream:
Check updated agenda here
For more details including a call for papers, please see here
An update on ILO COOP/SSE 100 Symposium Paper Submissions
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinars
As part of its centenary celebrations, ILO’s Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit is holding a series of webinars highlighting key areas of work on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy.- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinar I - Centenary Launch, 23 March 2020
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinar II - Advancing Gender Equality through Cooperatives, 27 April 2020
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinar III - Cooperatives for Climate Action, 3 July 2020
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinar IV - ILO COOP 100 Webinar IV in collaboration with PROSPECTS Programme The role of cooperatives and social and solidarity organizations in forced displacement contexts, 23 November 2020
- ILO COOP/SSE 100 Webinar V - ILO COOP 100 Webinar V – “SSE momentum: Finance for Inclusion and the Future of Work during Covid-19 pandemic”, 3 December 2020
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Interviews
ILO COOP/SSE 100 Interview series features past and present ILO colleagues and key partners who have closely engaged with the ILO's work on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy (SSE). The interviews reflect on their experience and contributions in the past and shares their thoughts on the future of cooperatives and the SSE in a changing world of work.- Jürgen von Muralt, First Director of the ILO's Enterprises Department
- Djankou Ndjonkou, former ILO Specialist on Cooperative Education and Training
- Jürgen Schwettmann, former ILO official and COOP Chief (2000-2006)
- Hagen Henrÿ, former ILO COOP Chief (2007-2011) and Adjunct Professor of comparative law at the University of Helsinki
- Sifa Chiyoge, International Cooperative Alliance Africa Regional Director
- Mark Levin, former ILO official and COOP official and Chief (1996-2003)
- Stirling Smith, SYNDICOOP project
- Joe Connolly, former ILO official
- Robby Tulus, ex-ICA AP Regional Director, cooperative consultant
- Andrew Bibby, Journalist and Writer on cooperatives
- Edgar Parnell, Cooperative Practioner
- Mauro Lusetti, President, Legacoop
- Mr Haruyoshi Amano, Manager, International Relations Unit, Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union (JCCU)
- Mr Manuel Marino, previous Regional Director for International Cooperatives Alliance (ICA) Americas
- Mr Giuseppe Guerini, President, CECOP
- Mr Akira KURIMOTO, Chair of the ICA-AP Research Committee and former Professor at the Institute for Solidarity-based Society at Hosei University, Japan
- Mr Alexandre Soho, ILO Senior Technical Officer on agriculture and rural economy in the Fundamentals Branch of the ILO
- Dr Sonja Novkovic, the Chair of the ICA Committee on Cooperative Research and a Professor at Saint Mary’s University in Canada
- Hans Lind, Interim Country Representative for Colombia and Senior Advisor on Cooperative Development at We Effect
- Iain MacDonald, former Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance
- Mr. Upali Herath, a cooperative practitioner from Sri Lanka
- Danilo Salerno, The Regional Director for ICA Americas
- Martin Lowery, cooperative leader in the US, ICA Board Member
- Ramin Behzad, the former Labour counselor of Iran at the ILO
- Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Kamdem, Secretary General of the Pan African Institute for Development (PAID), former official of the International Labour Organization
- Jean-Louis Bancel, President of Coop France and Cooperatives Europe, and Vice President for Europe for the International Cooperative Alliance
- Rebecca Harvey, Executive Editor of Co-operative News
- Colombia Pérez Muñoz, Director of the Institute of Social Economy and Co-operativism, Cooperative University of Colombia
- Mounir Kleibo, Representative of the International Labour Organization in Jerusalem
- Ünal Örnek, Coordinator of the Central Union of Turkish Forestry Cooperatives (ORKOOP)
Podcast Interview with Anna Biondi, Deputy Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV)
Anna Biondi, Deputy Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV), was interviewed by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) for the first episode of its podcast series. She reflects on the historical relationship between cooperatives and trade unions and on the challenges and opportunities for cooperative enterprises in advancing decent work.
ILO COOP/SSE Chiefs across time
Across the century ILO DG’s have appointed 12 officials to lead the work of the organization on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy. These were almost all staff members coming from within the ranks of the organization having worked in different capacities in the field and headquarters before leading the cooperatives and wider social and solidarity economy portfolio in the office. In the transition between the appointment of the COOP/SSE managers, there were several instances of Officers-in-Charge who were temporarily delegated responsibilities of leading this portfolio in the interim.- Georges Fauquet, Chief of ILO COOP from 1920 to 1932
- Maurice Colombain, Chief of ILO COOP from 1932 to 1947
- Goodwin Norman Lamming, Chief of ILO COOP from late 1947 to 1956
- Sailendra Narayan Roy, Chief of ILO COOP from late 1956 to 1964
- Jean Baptiste Orizet, Chief of ILO COOP from late 1964 to 1970
- Desmond Louis William Anker, Chief of ILO COOP from 1970 to 1971
- Thiecouta Sidibe (1931-2003), Chief of ILO COOP from 1973 to 1980
- Adoum Maurice Hél-Bongo, Chief of ILO COOP from 1981 to 1990
- Joseph Ciro Fazzio, Chief of ILO COOP from 1992 to 2000
- Juergen Schwettmann, Chief of ILO COOP from 2001 to 2006
- Hagen Henrÿ, Chief of ILO COOP from 2007 to 2011
- Simel Esim, Chief of ILO COOP/SSE from 2012 to present
More on the history of ILO COOP/SSE
The activities of what is affectively known as ILO COOP/SSE have gone uninterrupted since 1920. Over the course of the century, however, its official designation has gone through multiple iterations. This write up provides a glimpse into the transformation of what started as the “Section of Co-operation” in 1920 into the “Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit” in 2020 with all its different iterations in between. Read the full article hereOn the occasion of celebrating ILO COOP/SSE Centennial, Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics (APCE) presents a selection of 12 key articles that have shaped the contemporary understanding of cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy. Read here
Cooperatives & the ILO over 100 Years: A selection of 12 Articles: A Special Virtual Retrospective Issue of the Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics marking ILO COOP 100. Read here
A technical cooperation pioneer on cooperatives
During the 100 years of the ILO some extraordinary people have worked for the Organization. One of them was Peter Goullart who, during the 1950s helped develop co-operatives in several countries in Asia. He recounted his experiences in a book, ‘River of the White Lily’ published in 1965. Check the full article here
The story of a friendship: Juan Somavia and Ivano Barberini
Except their age (Juan was born in 1941, Ivano in 1939) there was little that bound the two men together. This was until in 2001, when the International Labour Conference discussed an item on the “Promotion of Cooperatives” which led to the adoption of ILO Recommendation 193, in 2002 under the same title. One year later, Ivano invited Juan to attend the ICA General Assembly in Oslo. Juan accepted, concluding his keynote address at the event with the words; “I believe in you and what you are doing. Let’s keep cooperating together”.
Except their age (Juan was born in 1941, Ivano in 1939) there was little that bound the two men together. This was until in 2001, when the International Labour Conference discussed an item on the “Promotion of Cooperatives” which led to the adoption of ILO Recommendation 193, in 2002 under the same title. One year later, Ivano invited Juan to attend the ICA General Assembly in Oslo. Juan accepted, concluding his keynote address at the event with the words; “I believe in you and what you are doing. Let’s keep cooperating together”.
- As ILO Cooperatives, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP/SSE) marks its centenary this year, the International Labour Review (ILR), a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal of international scope in labour and employment studies, will be celebrating its centenary next year. Across the years, a number of articles on cooperatives were featured in the issues of the ILR. Here are a selection of ILR articles on cooperatives spanning a period from the 1920s to the 1960s.
ILO Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Timeline
ILO Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Timeline highlights key events in the history of both the ILO’s work on cooperatives and the international cooperative movement.The Story of the ILO’s Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193) (ILO, 2015) highlights how ILO’s Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193) is being used by the ILO constituents and the cooperative movement. It reflects on the impact of the Recommendation on the laws, policies and practices of countries. The publication also provides a brief account of the ILO’s engagement with cooperative development since its inception in 1919.
Useful databases
NATLEX is the ILO's database featuring national laws on labour, social security and related human rights. You can find over a thousand cooperative laws at your fingertips on NATLEX going as far back as a century. Check it out here.
Labordoc provides online access to all ILO publications, including guides and manuals, reports, working papers and ILO journals. ILO meeting documents, including documents of the International Labour Conference, Governing Body, Regional and other meetings are also easily accessible through Labordoc. There are close to 10,000 entries on cooperatives on Labordoc. The search can be further nuanced by using keywords, type of resource, language, publication date and more. See here.
You can discover e-books, journal articles and other publications across hundreds of databases as well as the ILO Library's collections through LabourDiscovery. Check out over 70,000 items on cooperatives here.