News, stories and statements on cooperatives

  1. Cooperatives

    Egypt’s farmers: Sowing the seeds of an agricultural revolution

    07 February 2013

    Agriculture will be critical to future economic growth in Egypt, says the ILO – but only if the laws on farmers’ co-ops are reformed.

  2. Safety at work

    Turning computer junk into jobs

    18 January 2013

    Vast amounts of electrical and electronic waste end up in developing countries where the recycling methods are often hazardous. Integrating informal e-waste operations into the formal sector can help make the process safer, according to an ILO study titled "The global impact of e-waste".

  3. International Year of Cooperatives

    Healing pharmacies

    12 November 2012

    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.

  4. Banking co-ops

    What financial cooperatives can teach the big banks

    05 November 2012

    The success of financial cooperatives during the global financial crisis shows there is a credible alternative to the investment-owned banking system.

  5. Article

    From the ILO blog: "Co-ops are here to stay"

    02 November 2012

  6. Microinsurance

    The win-win potential of microinsurance for migrants

    29 October 2012

    International migrants send home over US$ 400 billion a year, yet they and their families often lack basic social protection. That is where microinsurance can step in.

  7. World Food Day

    ILO says cooperatives key to boosting food production

    16 October 2012

    Agricultural cooperatives – the theme of the 2012 World Food Day – are a vehicle for decent lives and decent work, according to ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

  8. Social finance

    Giving banks a good name

    19 September 2012

    Is it possible for banks to devote themselves to the financial welfare of workers and still survive financial crises? The ILO looks at the Rokin Bank, a union-led cooperative in Japan.

  9. Statement

    Co-operatives Make a Better World: Remarks by Mr José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs

    06 July 2012

    Remarks by Mr José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Director, Employment Sector, ILO, at the Ministerial Breakfast on “Promoting productive capacity for sustainable livelihoods: the role of cooperatives” at ECOSOC, New York, 5 July 2012

  10. Statement

    "Cooperative enterprises build a better world" - Statement by ILO Director-General

    06 July 2012

    Message by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, on the occasion of the 90th ICA International Co-operative Day and the 18th UN International Day of Cooperatives.