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Healing pharmacies- How cooperatives in Turkey offer customers easier and safer access to medicines As the International Year of Cooperatives draws to an end, ILO News looks at how cooperatives in Turkey offer customers easier and safer access to medicines.
El cooperativismo en América Latina. Una diversidad de contribuciones al desarrollo sostenible. La Oficina Regional de la OIT para América Latina y el Caribe y la Oficina Regional de la ACI Américas presentan el debate sobre el aporte real del cooperativismo al desarrollo económico y social en el continente e incentivar una nueva etapa de fortalecimiento del cooperativismo en la región.
What financial cooperatives can teach the big banks The success of financial cooperatives during the global financial crisis shows there is a credible alternative to the investment-owned banking system.
The contribution of cooperatives to the sustainable development of local economic circuit – premises, possibilities, outlook the Institute for Regional Development and Location Management of the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC) is organising on behalf of the South Tyrolean Raiffeisen federation a scientific conference, which aims to discuss the relationship between cooperatives, sustainable entrepreneurship and local and regional development. The Institute for Italian law at the University of Innsbruck, the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises Trento (EURICSE) and the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano support this conference as scientific partners.
Factories recovered by workers in Argentina Since the year 2000 the workers in Argentina decided to not leave the factories closed for bankruptcy or because abandoned by their owners, organizing themselves in Cooperatives to retrieve the production. Today 20.000 employees manage more than 300 recovered factories throughout the country, and they are organized into the National Movement of the Recovered Factories (N.M.R.F.). In 2011, thanks to these impacting results of the Movement, the Government of Argentina approved the Reform of the Bankruptcy Law. This Reform facilitates the revitalisation processes of the factories undertaken by the workers and opens the space to large-scale application
Cooperatives show the way out of the crisis Cooperatives have been more resilient to the global economic and jobs crisis than other sectors. The UN International Day of Cooperatives, which took place this year on 7 July, offered a chance for cooperatives to reassert their position in the world economy. ILO News interviews Simel Esim, Chief of the ILO’s Cooperative Branch.
The role of Cooperatives and Business Associations in Value Chain Development Briefing paper on the role that coops and business associations play in value chain development approaches
Turning waste fruit into a profitable business Cooperatives have played an important role in Indonesia by helping to boost growth, reduce poverty and promote social cohesion. As the world celebrates the UN International Day of Cooperatives, Gita Lingga reports on a successful project involving rural women in the Maluku islands.
Manual de elaboración de proyectos El manual brinda orientaciones prácticas para que las cooperativas y otros tipos de organizaciones de autoayuda formulen propuestas de proyectos que sean viables desde los puntos de vista econó-mico, social, político y ambiental. Comprende todos los pasos de la elaboración de un proyecto: desde la identificación del problema principal a ser abordado, a la planificación de la ejecución del pro-yecto, el seguimiento y la evaluación.
My.COOP Managing your Agricultural Cooperative - My.COOP - is a training package that aims to strengthen the management of agricultural cooperatives so that they can offer high quality, efficient and effective services to their members.
Des coopératives pour un développement rural axé sur les personnes Les coopératives jouent un rôle important d'entraide dans les zones rurales, surtout là où les entreprises hésitent à se rendre et où l'administration publique n'offre pas de services de base. Elles créent des opportunités d'emploi productif, et offrent aussi des soins de santé, l'éducation, l'eau potable, un meilleur assainissement, des routes et l'accès aux marchés, tout en donnant une « voix » plus forte aux communautés rurales.
Guide de législation coopérative, deuxième édition, revue et corrigée Fournit une assistance pour la rédaction de textes législatifs sur les coopératives.
L’Afrique solidaire et entrepreneuriale L’étude montre que le succès des entreprises coopératives en Afrique peut contribuer de façon notable à réduire la pauvreté de diverses manières. Il est établi que ces structures créent de l’emploi et des opportunités de revenus permettant à ses membres de payer les frais de scolarité, de construire des maisons, d’investir dans des activités commerciales et agricoles et de faire face à d’autres dépenses d’ordre familial. Elles créent également des mécanismes de solidarité pour renforcer un système de sécurité sociale traditionnel largement sous-développé, en mettant en place des programmes pour subvenir aux dépenses liées à l’éducation, à la maladie, au décès et aux autres aléas socio-économiques.
Green Jobs Learning Forum: Local Strategies and Actions This interagency learning forum is a highly interactive programme designed to support key actors in shaping complementary green jobs strategies at the local, regional and national level. Participants will get to know a range of existing local level best practices and tools and will engage with top-level resource persons. The forum has a strong focus on tailoring lessons learnt to the actual work situations of participants.
Project Design Manual The manual provides cooperatives and other types of self-help organizations with practical guidance to formulate project proposals that are economically, socially, politically and environmentally viable.
Innovative Cooperative Training This source book is filled with an eclectic pool of tools, resources, ideas, information and principles that encourage innovation and entrepreneurship amongst those involved with cooperative development. It aims to change the way we think about training in the cooperative context. It seeks to introduce innovation in cooperatives through helping trainers become more innovative themselves. It aims at making a qualitative change in the way the trainer sees him or herself and uses that knowledge to dramatically improve training methods. The tools are designed to enhance and enrich one's approach to leadership. There is no right ir wrong way to use the source book and once acquainted with the methodology, users can quickly design and adapt the resources to a format that best suits their personal style.
Local Development for Decent Work This booklet is one of six parts to that kit, serving as a gateway into ILO expertise and knowledge on the regional priority area of local development for decent work. It explains in a brief and user-friendly manner why this is a regional priority, the issues it addresses and how the ILO can help its social partners, detailing the available approaches, strategies and tools and possible partnerships. Where applicable, examples of good practices or adaptable projects are included.
Inter Agency Conference on Local Economic Development The Inter-Agency Conference on Local Economic Development (LED) took place from 22 to 24 October 2008 at the ILO’s International Training Centre (ITC) in Turin, Italy. The conference was attended by some 130 participants from 50 countries and among these representatives from different United Nations agencies, bilateral development agencies, local governments, non-governmental organisations and indigenous peoples organisations
Strategies of city-to-city co-operation for economic revitalization "STRATEGIES OF CITY-TO-CITY-CO-OPERATION FOR ECONOMIC REVITALISATION", Seville, Spain 1 -3 April 2009 in collaboration with the ILO (International Labour Organisation). How to measure and improve the economic impact of city collaboration versus city competition. International Seminar addressed only to local government decision makers. Now opened for submission of experiences to present during the seminar. Contact us for more information, selected cities will be granted with travel and accommodation. Sponsored by the Seville Local Development Agency (Sevilla Global). "ESTRATEGIAS DE COOPERACIÓN ENTRE CIUDADES PARA LA REVITALIZACIÓN ECONÓMICA", Sevilla, España 1 - 3 Abril 2009, en colaboración con la OIT (Organización Internacional del Trabajo) destinado a mejorar y medir el impacto económico de la cooperación entre gobiernos locales. Seminario Internacional dirigido únicamente a miembros de gobiernos locales. Abierto el periodo de inscripciones y selección de experiencias. Financiado por Sevilla Global, Agencia de Desarrollo Local del Ayuntamiento de Sevilla. Las ciudades elegidas dispondrán de una beca de viaje y alojamiento.
Local Economic Development Network of African (LEDNA) A new one stop shop for local economic development information and networking, and which gives access to free, peer checked LED knowledge and to local economic development networks in Africa and globally. The online platform comprises resources on the concept of LED, guidelines on “how to make LED work” and examples of best practice, listed by region or by thematic area. For more details please take a look at the portal www.ledna.org, register in and download LED tools, methods and project documents for free, start sharing your knowledge and getting in contact with the worldwide community of LED practitioners!
LED Radio: Globalisation and the Importance of Place The LED Radio is an innovative methodology that has been employed in the course of the Inter-Agency Conference on LED, to discuss a current issue: globalisation, and its impact on poverty reduction strategies, the role of local economies and territorial competition and the future of local economic development strategies. The audience addressed their questions via SMS to the main speakers.
COOP News Letter No. 3 2008
The six thematic Working Groups On the first day the Inter-agency Conference on LED, 22 to 24 October 2008, Turin, discussion around LED kicked off with six theme-specific working groups, involving each participant in a group of choice. The selection of topics was aimed at exploring goverance aspects of LED processes, their economic outcomes and their application to a varied field of socio-economic development practices, ranging from Indigenous People's rights to Value Chains upgrading to Public-Private Dialogue, etc.
South African LED Network The South African LED Network is an association for Local Economic Development in South Africa. The South African LED Network has more than 250 members drawn from local, provincial and national government officials consultants, facilitators and other organizations working on the development of local economies
COOPAfrica -Leaflet This Leaflet outlines of the objectives and approach of COOPAfrica
Guidelines for Cooperative Legislation-second revised edition Cooperatives contribute significantly to economic and social development in virtually all countries. The second part of the 20th century saw cooperative laws to either support or to hinder this development. That is why governments have been revising their cooperative laws over the past one and a half decades with a view to bringing them in line with the universally recognized cooperative values and principles whilst responding to the challenges of an ever harsher competition amongst businesses at all levels.
Let's organize! A SYNDICOOP handbook for trade unions and cooperatives about organizing workers in the informal economy This SYNDICOOP Handbook is designed to help replicate the approach by serving as a resource for trade union and cooperative organizers and trainers. It was finalized by members of the International Steering Committee of the SYNDICOOP Programme, mainly comprising representatives from the ICFTU, ICA and ILO together with National Steering Committee members from all four programme countries as well as project staff.
Handbook on Cooperatives for use by Workers' Organizations This handbook lists the essential things to know about cooperatives for all those who are interested as members, future members, politicians or staff of national or international institutions in charge of the promotion and development of cooperatives. In simple, understandable language, the handbook deals in turn with the characteristic features of cooperatives, cooperative enterprise as a whole, the promotion of cooperatives and the close ties that exist between the ILO and cooperatives.
Transition to Cooperative Entrepreneurship: Case studies from Armenia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Poland, Russia, Uganda and Vietnam This volume documents current entrepreneurial and management practices in cooperatives in selected transition and developing economies and identifies the key factors determining the success of cooperative entrepreneurship in the transition from central planning to a market-driven economy.
Human Resource Management in Cooperatives, Theory, Process and Practice This volume is a sequel to Dr. Davis' previous book published by the ILO, "Managing the Cooperative Difference" (1999), which explored the application of modern management practices in the cooperative context. The central thesis of "Managing the Cooperative Difference" was that the cooperative values, principles and structures provide cooperatives with their competitive advantage, and that enterprises based on mutuality and community are better placed than other types of enterprise to apply modern management concepts.
The Role of Cooperatives and other Self-Help Organizations in Crisis Resolution and Socio-EconomicRecovery This document has been prepared primarily for the use of those involved in crisis response and reconstruction programmes, who may not be specialists in the field of cooperatives and self-help organizations (Coops/SHOs); however, it is appreciated that those having varying degrees of experience in this field may also make use of the Report. Specialists in the field of Coops/SHOs, without direct experience of crisis response and reconstruction work can also benefit from studying the wide range of material that has been prepared by and for the ILO’s Crisis Response InFocus Programme. The availability of these publications makes it unnecessary to repeat the many important relevant matters covered within them.
Cooperatives and the Millennium Development Goals This book examines the role and potential of cooperatives in relation to the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It draws on the history of different types of cooperatives and describes their current contribution to developed and developing world economies. It analyses their potential future role in poverty reduction, the empowerment of women, the fight against HIV/AIDS, sustainable development and so on. It shows how cooperatives are beginning to get involved in the design and implementation of national poverty reduction strategies, how developed world cooperatives are helping through fair trade, and how cooperative development agencies are delivering pro-poor growth through cooperatives. It challenges governments and international agencies not to overlook the cooperative potential. Ten case studies illustrate in practical terms how cooperatives are contributing to the 'MDGs'. The conclusion provides guidance on how the cooperative movement can increase its visibility and strengthen its contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Prepared for the ILO Cooperative Branch, the ILO Policy Integration Department and COPAC (Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives).
Productivity in cooperatives and worker-owned enterprises: Ownership and participation make a difference! This volume has been prepared as a background paper for the ILO's World Employment Report 2004: Employment, Productivity and Poverty Reduction. It examines how the ownership structure and the active participation of workers and members in cooperatives and worker-owned enterprises impact on the productivity of such enterprises. Employee-owned firms and cooperatives are ommercial organizations that operate according to a broad set of values that govern their pursuit of economic gain. As democratic member- or worker-controlled enterprises, they try to balance diverse goals such as job and income security, democratic control and participation, safety and health at the work place, profit sharing and patronage dividends, and concern for their communities. The conventional definition of productivity as "value added per worker" is therefore not fully satisfactory when we examine it in the context of employee-owned firms and cooperatives, because these organizations typically deliver a combination of economic and social returns to their member-owners and the community at large.
An inventory of tools useful for the cooperative sector This inventory includes tools used by those involved with cooperatives in Africa, who attended the COOPAfrica Technical Workshop on Tool Development, held at the Cooperative College of Kenya between the 27th and 29th of August, 2008. Where tools were not able to be provided, the contact details have been documented. Please treat this inventory as a ‘living’ document. We encourage your continued comments, efforts, and help in revising this inventory periodically, in order to incorporate new tools and your suggestions and improvements. To promote further knowledge sharing and dialogue on tool development, we have created an email list, which is soon to be followed by a web-based platform. To contribute to the email list, please address your emails to .
ILO Cooperatives Programme The ILO and cooperatives have a history dating back to 1920. From that point forward, the ILO has had a specific mandate for cooperative development. The work of the Cooperative Programme has focused on mobilisation of the cooperative self-help mechanism.
COOPAfrica Research undertaken in Africa during 2005 revealed that cooperatives were entering a period of renaissance, which would make them key actors in the struggle to eradicate poverty and social exclusion. However, to enable such transformation cooperatives would need greater visibility, a stronger voice, superior governance, further diversification, a favourable legislative and institutional environment and improved horizontal networks and vertical structures. The response to this need comes in the form of a ‘Cooperative facility for Africa’ or COOPAfrica.
ILO Database on Poverty, Local Development and Decent Work Electronic data base of 200 publications relevant for LED and poverty reduction. With search function, quick downloads and hyperlinks.
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