Publications and tools on cooperatives

September 2009

  1. Working Paper No. 2 - Enterprise future lies in cooperation : entrepreneur cooperatives in Africa : an introductory paper

    01 September 2009

    CoopAFRICA Working Paper No. 2

August 2009

  1. Working Paper No. 7 - Cooperatives in Africa: The age of reconstruction - synthesis of a survey in nine African countries

    01 August 2009

    Many governments have adopted a pro-cooperative attitude, mirrored in updated legislation and functioning cooperative departments. In some cases, the regulating policy may be felt as meddlesome by certain cooperative movements. While in other cases, the government is trying to restore the movement’s institutions. Cooperative movements, as well as selected cooperatives, have benefited from donor programmes. Different types of donors have been prominent, including northern cooperative movement agencies, bilateral agencies, UN-agencies and some NGOs. Most programmes seek to enhance institutional strength, value chain monitoring, rural access to finance and training in governance.

July 2009

  1. Training resource pack for agricultural cooperatives on the elimination of hazardous child labour (Set of 2 books)

    09 July 2009

    The goal of this resource kit is to raise awareness, help cooperative trainers to plan and run activities, and improve occupational safety and health conditions and promote the implementation of ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182).

  2. Cooperating out of child labour. Harnessing the untapped potential of cooperatives and the cooperative movement to eliminate child labour

    08 July 2009

    This title has been produced as a call to action to the world cooperative movement to join hands in fighting child labour. Cooperatives and the cooperative movement have an important, but as yet unharnessed, role to play in the elimination of child labour worldwide.

June 2009

  1. Resilience of the Cooperative Business Model in Times of Crisis

    10 June 2009

    The financial and ensuing economic crisis has had negative impacts on the majority of enterprises; however, cooperative enterprises around the world are showing resilience to the crisis. Financial cooperatives remain financially sound; consumer cooperatives are reporting increased turnover; worker cooperatives are seeing growth as people choose the cooperative form of enterprise to respond to new economic realities. This report provides historical evidence and current empirical evidence that proves that the cooperative model of enterprise survives crisis, but more importantly that it is a sustainable form of enterprise able to withstand crisis, maintaining the livelihoods of the communities in which they operate. It further suggests ways in which the ILO can strengthen its activity in the promotion of cooperatives as a means to address the current crisis and avert future crisis.

March 2009

  1. Rural women producers and cooperatives in conflicts settings in the Arab States

    31 March 2009

    Ongoing violent conflicts accentuate the challenges that women and men face in the rural areas of Iraq, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territories. The potential of cooperatives for sharing risk, pooling resources, learning together, generating income, and balancing work and family responsibilities, has yet to be actualized.

February 2009

  1. Cooperating out of poverty: The renaissance of the African cooperative movement

    02 February 2009

    This book offers an objective analysis of the state of affairs of the cooperative sector in Africa since the liberalization of the economy in the early 1990s.

  2. Working Paper No. 9 - Cooperatives: a path to economic and social empowerment in Ethiopia

    01 February 2009

    Traditional cooperatives associations existed in Ethiopian society centuries ago in the form of iqub and idir. Iqub is an association of people having common objectives of mobilizing resources, especially finance, and distributing it to members on rotating basis. Idir is an association of people that have the objective of providing social and economic insurance for the members in the events of death, accident, damages to property, among others. In the case of funeral, Idir serves as funeral insurance where community members elect their leaders, contribute resources either in kind or in cash and support the mourning member.

August 2008

  1. Cooperating out of poverty - the renaissance of African cooperatives movement

    10 August 2008

    Eradicating poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the biggest challenge for the global community today. During the last 25 years, the number of poor has doubled from 150 million to 300 million, half the population surviving on $1 a day or less. According to the report of the Commission for Africa, “the continent needs successful African entrepreneurs and a strong and vibrant small enterprise sector to provide the innovation and productivity growth necessary for long-term poverty reduction”.

January 2008

  1. Financial Education - Cambodia - Trainer’s manual

    01 January 2008

    This guide primarily targets women, who usually manage household money in Cambodia. The training makes them more informed and empowered financial decision-makers, able to set financial targets and reach them. This helps them to improve their living conditions, send their children to school and enjoy rewarding lives.