South-South Exchange on Social and Solidarity Economy Thursday the 11 th of April 2013 Anita Amorim, ILO, Senior External Relations Specialist, South-South Cooperation and UN affairs. 2

The Way Forward Preliminary Remarks 3

One UN and many ways of cooperating Cooperation between developing countries is not new. However, it has gained more visibility and importance in the last decade. By recognizing the need for the United Nations development system to continue to adapt and respond to evolving challenges and opportunities for development cooperation, the recent QCPR resolution paves the way to cooperation mechanisms such as South-south and Triangular cooperation (SSTC). 4

SSTC and the ILO: The Way Forward The UN stance on South-South cooperation is consistent with the ILO’s thorough commitment to SSTC and its role in disseminating knowledge and encouraging cooperation “for the south and by the south”. The ILO Governing Body adopted a South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) strategy in March 2012 entitled “South–South and triangular cooperation: The way forward”. 5

Respond to the pressing challenges of the world of work. The ILO Programme and Budget (P&B) for 2012–13, adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 100th Session (2011), places particular emphasis on SSTC as a means of achieving the Organization’s objectives. The P&B proposals for presents SSTC as a complementary and essential mechanism to more traditional partnerships. 6

Respecting national ownership and leadership….. South-South cooperation is not a monolithic mechanism. It is based on the premise that there is no “one size fits all” approach and respect national contingencies without compromising fundamental rights and principles at work. SSTC is a modern mechanism that is suited to the challenges of the post-2015 era. 7

….while using complementarities with existing practices South-South exchange and the Social economy (SE) are based on the principle of solidarity. “Building partnerships between social economy stakeholders in the North and South, as well as South-South partnerships” is effective…. …because it necessary involves a multi-stakeholder approach that is central to the mainstreaming of the Decent Work Agenda (DWA). 8

Building upon past and on-going practices: shaping the future of SSE Linking the Social and Solidarity Economy with South-South Exchange 9

Reviving cooperative enterprises through South-South Exchange ILO’s Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization recognizes that in a globalized world “productive, profitable and sustainable enterprises, together with a strong social economy and a viable public sector, are critical to sustainable economic development and employment opportunities.” 10

ILO’s contribution to the Social and Solidarity Economy. Regional examples 11

AFRICA In 2008, COOP Africa, the Cooperative Facility for Africa, sponsored a high-level visit for Tanzanian cooperative officials from the government to Ethiopia in order to learn from the experience of its autonomous Federal Cooperative Agency. The Lorna Young Foundation – COOP Africa-African Peer Partnering ( ): Developing effective business and marketing learning for cooperative smallholders (South-South learning and good practice). SYNDICOOP in East Africa: The project aimed to contribute to poverty reduction among unprotected informal economy workers in the four African countries by improving their working and living conditions and by promoting decent work and income. 12

Arab States In November 2010 the ILO organized a tripartite Sub- regional Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Cooperatives in Arab States held in Beirut (Lebanon) gathering representatives of governments, workers’, and employers’ organisations, cooperatives from six Arab countries (i.e. Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian countries, Syria and Yemen), and donors. 13

Other initiatives Fostering SSTC by using existing mechanisms and/or platforms. 14

Europe and Central Asia The Co-operative College (UK): The college works in nearly 20 countries in Africa and the Asia/Pacific region. It is an excellent knowledge sharing platform and encourages cooperation in the Global South. 15

Latin America and the Caribbean 16 Espacio MERCOSUR Solidario Mesa de Coordinación Latinoamericana de Comercio Justo (MCLACJ - Latin American Coordination Bureau of Fair Trade) Red Iberoamericana de la Economía Social (RIBES- Ibero-American Network of Social Economy)

Global initiatives The international Co-operative Alliance (ICA) The Intercontinental network for the promotion of the social solidarity economy (RIPESS) “My COOP” training package 17