ILO highlights transformative power of the social and solidarity economy at global forum in Spain

DONOSTIA SAN SEBASTIÁN (ILO News) – From 27 to 30 May 2025, the ILO participated in the inaugural Forum of the Arizmendiarrieta Social Economy Think Tank (ASETT), along with a series of related high-level events held in the Basque Country, Spain. The events brought together policymakers, representatives from intergovernmental organizations, civil society and academia, and leading voices and practitioners in the social and solidarity economy (SSE) to explore its transformative potential in addressing global challenges and advancing inclusive and sustainable development. 

Simel Esim, Head of the ILO’s Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP/SSE) and Chair of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE), participated in several sessions as a member of the ASETT International Advisory Council. Through her contributions, she emphasized the relevance of the SSE to the future of work and reaffirmed the ILO’s commitment to supporting cooperatives and other SSE actors in promoting decent work and social justice. 

© ASETT Forum

International Year of Cooperatives: From recognition to inclusion

On 27 May 2025, in a video message for the session marking the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2025, Simel Esim emphasized the vital role cooperatives play in today’s rapidly changing world. She reaffirmed the ILO’s long-standing support to cooperatives, grounded in Recommendation No. 193, which recognizes the importance of cooperative autonomy, identity, and democratic member control. “We are living through an era of accelerating transformation,” she noted, “and amid these uncertainties, cooperatives offer resilience grounded in solidarity, democratic governance, and a commitment to people and planet.” 

Esim called for a shift from symbolic support to structural inclusion. She highlighted how cooperatives lead innovation in sectors like housing, agriculture, energy, and social services. They generate quality jobs, empower marginalized groups, and contribute to the 2030 Agenda – particularly SDG 8 on decent work and inclusive growth, she noted. Highlighting the ILO’s historic partnership with the cooperative movement, she referred to the normative value of ILO Recommendation 193 on the promotion of cooperatives, Guidelines concerning statistics of cooperatives and the 2022 Resolution concerning decent work and the SSE. She reaffirmed that this support is rooted in the cooperative identity, autonomy, and democratic control promoted under Recommendation No. 193. 

Watch the video message here.  

© ASETT Forum

From policy to practice: Fostering local solutions through the SSE 

On 28 May 2025, Esim joined a high-level dialogue organized by the Basque Social Economy Network (EGES), speaking with Elena Pérez Barredo, Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Security of the Basque Government. The session, moderated by Eva Silván, focused on how the SSE can address today’s social and economic challenges by building inclusive institutions and fostering local solutions. Esim stressed that the ILO’s work in this area is not only policy-driven but grounded in field-driven collaboration with governments, workers' and employers' organizations, and SSE entities.  

Esim underlined that the 2022 ILO Resolution introduced the first internationally agreed definition of the SSE, providing guiding principles that support diverse models while respecting national contexts and tripartite decision-making. She pointed to major normative progress, including the UN General Assembly Resolutions A/RES/77/281 (2023) and A/RES/79/213 (2024), which call for supportive legal, policy, and financial frameworks for the SSE. Esim also highlighted the ongoing efforts to develop global statistical guidelines on the SSE and emphasized the ILO’s integrated approach to supporting transitions from informality to formality, particularly for women, youth, and disadvantaged groups, through the SSE. By promoting democratic ownership, participatory governance, and redistributive justice, SSE entities are vital to building inclusive, rights-based economies. 

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Cooperating in a polarized world: An international perspective on the SSE

On 29 May 2025, during the ASETT International Advisory Council plenary session “Social Economy: An International Perspective”, Esim noted that the current context is marked by overlapping crises: rising inequality, persistent informality, the erosion of democratic institutions, and the impacts of climate, demographic, and digital transitions.  

In this environment, the SSE offers values-based and participatory alternatives rooted in solidarity, participation, and rights. “The SSE is not just a response – it is part of the transformation we need,” she said. Esim highlighted the role of SSE entities – such as cooperatives, associations, mutual societies, foundations, social enterprises, self-help groups and other entities operating in accordance with the values and principles of the SSE – in supporting the formalization of informal work, generating jobs in underserved sectors, expanding essential services, and fostering inclusive economic participation, especially where civic space is shrinking. She emphasized the diverse nature of SSE models and their complementary role alongside public and private sector actors. 

Watch the recording of the session here. 

© ASETT Forum

A global dialogue on public policies for advancing the SSE

On 30 May 2025, the ILO facilitated the concluding ASETT ministerial dialogue on public policies for the SSE, where high-level policymakers from Brazil, France, Kenya, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Senegal, and Spain shared national experiences and strategies, policy innovations and lessons learned for advancing the SSE. The session illustrated how national strategies can be tailored to local realities while benefiting from global cooperation and exchange. 

In addition to highlighting national innovations, participants reflected on how the SSE contributes to formalizing informal work, expanding care services, promoting youth employment, and ensuring economic inclusion in fragile contexts. The dialogue also explored how ASETT could support international cooperation, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building for the SSE. The session reinforced the collaborative spirit of multilateral efforts to enable people-centred and sustainable development. 

Watch the recording of the session here. 

© ASETT Forum

The ILO’s engagement at the ASETT Forum reflects its commitment in promoting the SSE as a key pillar of inclusive, democratic, and sustainable development. Through its global partnerships, technical leadership, and support for national implementation, the ILO continues to work with governments and social partners to respond to today’s challenges, advance decent work and social justice through cooperatives and other SSE actors.