The social economy (SE), as an activity, is historically linked to associations and cooperatives, which form its very backbone. The system of values and principles of action of associations, reflected in historical cooperativism, are those that have served as the basis for the modern concept of the social economy, which is structured around three large families of organisations (cooperatives, mutual societies and associations), although today we can find other social enterprises such as foundations or insertion companies, among others.
In 1844, the Rochdale Pioneer Society created the first modern cooperative and inspired the creation of the International Cooperative Alliance in 1895.
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is the voice of cooperatives worldwide, which are people-centred enterprises owned and democratically run by their members to meet their common socio-economic needs and aspirations.
The ICA is an independent, non-governmental organisation established in 1895 to unite, represent and work in the service of co-operatives throughout the world. The ICA offers a global voice and a forum for knowledge, expertise and coordinated action for cooperatives.
In 1995, the ICA adopted the Statement on the Cooperative Identity, which includes the definition of a cooperative, the values of cooperatives and the seven cooperative principles.
Today, over 305 organisations from 103 countries around the world are members of the International Cooperative Alliance. ICA members are international and national cooperative organisations from all sectors of the economy: agriculture, banking, consumer, fisheries, health, housing, insurance, and industry and services.
Through this link you can access an interactive map where you can find all ICA members: Members of the International Cooperative Alliance | ICA.
Avenue Milcamps, 105
1030 - Brussels - Belgium
The Global Alliance for Care is the first global multi-stakeholder community that facilitates spaces for dialogue, analysis, exchange of experiences and learning about care, its recognition as a need, a job and a right. It is articulated through governments, civil society, trade associations, the philanthropic sector, international organisations, academia with a view to implementing the care agenda from the local to the global level.
The Global Alliance for Care was co-convened by the Government of Mexico through INMUJERES, and UN Women. It was announced at the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico in March 2021 and launched in Paris in July of the same year as a collective, multi-stakeholder initiative to position and advance the care agenda.
It currently has a total of 167 members, among them:
General Technical Secretariat Headquarters
Offices of the National Women’s Institute, Mexico
Barranca del Muerto 209
San José Insurgentes, Alcaldía Benito Juárez
CP 03900, Ciudad de México, México.
The European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives (CECOP) aims to bring democracy and solidarity to the workplace, with sustainable economic growth and social cohesion. Its goals are decent employment and social inclusion, while promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable growth.
This confederation is made up of national federations of cooperatives and organisations that promote cooperativism. They represent more than 27 members from 16 European countries, giving a voice to 40,000 companies and 1.3 million workers.
C/O European Cooperative House
Avenue Milcamps, 105
1030 – Bruselas - Bélgica
Copa-Cogeca are two organisations working together for the representation of farmers and agricultural cooperatives in the European Union. Their shared mission is to ensure that EU agriculture is a sustainable, innovative and competitive sector, while guaranteeing food security in Europe.
COPA
The Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations (COPA) represents more than 22 million European farmers. Among its objectives is the development of effective policies and strategic initiatives to raise awareness of the multifunctional role of farms and to advocate for a decent income for farmers. It acts as a central network for the agricultural issues of its members and acts as a platform of exchange to develop solutions, both within the European Union and beyond.
It also maintains a strong public discourse with the European Union, presenting the positions of the farmers it represents and promoting the development of a more beneficial agricultural and forestry sector. At the same time, it also participates in international platforms promoting and disseminating its positions.
COGECA
The General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (COGECA) represents the general and specific interests of agri-food, forestry and fisheries cooperatives among the EU institutions and other socio-economic organisations that contribute to decision-making in Europe.
COGECA includes among its objectives the strengthening of the network of European agricultural cooperatives and promotes their business cooperation. To this end, it facilitates the exchange of best practices, establishes platforms for dialogue for the appropriate solution of present and future problems that may arise, and promotes and presents innovative solutions.
It also contributes to economic, financial and social legal analyses of interest to agri-food, forestry and fisheries cooperatives.
Rue de Trèves 61
1040 Bruxelles
Bélgica
Eurocoop is one of the first non-governmental organisations recognised by the European Commission, seeking to promote the interests of consumer cooperatives and their member consumers. In total, it brings together 20 national members, representing a total of 7,000 cooperative enterprises, employing around 750,000. The total annual turnover is approximately 72 billion euros. Among its members is the Confederación Española de Cooperativas de Consumidores y Usuarios or HISPACOOP.
Its aim is to represent and defend the structure and ethics of consumer cooperative enterprises at European level, by participating in different platforms and working groups to give visibility to its members.
The Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF) is an international partnership of local governments, networks and civil society committed to promoting the social and solidarity economy as a means to achieve inclusive and sustainable local development. GSEF promotes the social economy by organising biannual international forums together with its partner cities on different continents, bringing together actors from international organisations, local and central governments, as well as civil society networks. These biannual forums have grown to become one of the most important international events in the social economy calendar. GSEF operates in five key areas for the social and solidarity economy:
GSEF Secretariat
Hotel de Ville - Place Pey Berland,
Burdeos 33000 – Francia
The Ibero-American Observatory of Employment and the Social and Cooperative Economy (OIBESCOOP) is an association whose objective is the promotion, development, study, encouragement and protection of the Social Economy, especially in the Ibero-American sphere and from a scientific and academic perspective. OIBESCOOP was created in 2008 with the aim of contributing to the theoretical and practical structuring of a common space for the Social Economy in Ibero-America, Spain and Portugal.
The Observatory is made up of a network of Ibero-American specialists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. OIBESCOOP's work is structured in seven thematic sections which, in sum, provide an overview of the social economy in the vast territory it covers. The sections focus on legislation, public employment and entrepreneurship policies, integration and representative organisations, studies and research, good practice, gender and current news.
University of Zaragoza.
Faculty of Economics and Business
Gran Vía, 2,
50005 Zaragoza
From May 2023, following the adoption of the Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 April 2023 Promoting the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development promoted by Spain, the Sub-Directorate General of International Relations of the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy together with the teams of the State Secretariat of Social Economy have been working on the configuration of an Ibero-American Network of the Social and Solidarity Economy (REDESS) together with a group of promoting countries:
The aim is to create an effective network that brings together Ibero-American states committed to promoting the social and solidarity economy in order to exchange experiences and public policies, and to jointly advance the objectives set out in the United Nations resolution on the social and solidarity economy.
The REDESS would also count on the participation as observer entities of the main organisations representing the social economy in the Ibero-American space: Social Economy Europe (based in the European Union and representing the social economy in Spain and Portugal), and the International Co-operative Alliance of the Americas, and with the participation of experts and international institutions involved in the promotion of the social economy.
Moreover, one of the objectives of the Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, within the Network, is to increase the number of countries participating in the network in order to improve the coverage of the Ibero-American space.
The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) is a global network of continental networks committed to the promotion of the social solidarity economy. RIPESS member networks (Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania) bring together national and sectoral networks, thus ensuring a strong territorial base.
In the current global context, RIPESS favours intercontinental cooperation and is a voice for SSE proposals at both local and global levels. Its members believe in the importance of the globalisation of solidarity in order to build and strengthen an economy that puts people and planet at the centre of its activity.
RIPESS integrates within its structure different networks and organisations such as:
Active since 2000 and under the name CEP-CMAF (The European Standing Conference of Cooperatives, Mutuals, Associations and foundations), it is the voice of 2.8 million social economy enterprises and organisations in Europe. In 2008 it changed its name to Social Economy Europe. It is a strategic partner of the European institutions, leading EU policy on the social economy. Since its foundation, it has been the Secretariat of the Social Economy Intergroup of the European Parliament.
Social Economy Europe has the following members:
Rue des Alexiens, 16B
1000 - Bruselas - Bélgica
The Cooperatives Unit of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was created in 1920 and since then has been working in the field of cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy in general. In general, the ILO's activities in the field of cooperatives are governed by ILO Recommendation No. 193 - Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193) (ilo.org). Since then, more than 117 countries have used this Recommendation to review their legislation and policies. Currently, the work of the ILO's Cooperatives Unit is governed by the Resolution on decent work and the Social and Solidarity Economy adopted in 2022.
This Unit has developed a seven-year Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2029) whose roadmap has three key objectives:
The United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) was created in 2013 in response to a growing concern within the UN system about rethinking development in the wake of multiple global crises.
The UNTFSSE currently has 17 members, including UN and OECD agencies and 13 observers. This Working Group aims to increase the visibility of the social and solidarity economy within the UN system and beyond. The members and observers of the Working Group have committed themselves to collaborative activities to:
As a milestone in its trajectory, it highlights the adoption, on 18 April 2023, by the United Nations General Assembly, of the Resolution Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development (A/RES/77/281) (N2311871.pdf (un.org). The adoption of this resolution has been the result of years of continuous research and advocacy by this Working Group.
4 Route des Morillons
CH-1211, Genève 22, Switzerland
