The ICA has joined the International Labour Organisation’s Coalition for Social Justice as a partner. Established in November 2023, the Coalition aims to foster multilateral cooperation and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), championing social justice on a global scale. It brings together partners from governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, international institutions, enterprises, non-governmental organisations, and academic institutions, which convene annually for a Forum, either remotely or in person.
As highlighted in the 2023 report by the UN Secretary General on cooperatives in social development, cooperatives promote sustainable development contributing to “social inclusion and the eradication of poverty and hunger”. As a member of the Coalition, the ICA will share best practices from cooperatives worldwide, helping to raise awareness of the global cooperative movement’s role in driving sustainable development.
“It is a great joy for us to be part of the Global Coalition for Social Justice,” said ICA President Ariel Guarco. “Cooperatives are enterprises formed and controlled by workers, users, consumers, producers.... Social justice is an intrinsic element of our form of socio-entrepreneurial management. And we are today a model that leads directly to a sustainable and peaceful future on a global scale. This is being recognised worldwide and is embodied in the United Nations declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives,” he added.
Mr Guarco also encouraged the ILO partners to attend the ICA’s Global Cooperative Conference on 25-30 November in New Delhi, India, which will showcase how cooperatives build prosperity for all.
What is the ILO Global Coalition for Social Justice?
The Coalition serves as a platform to discuss thematic issues, share best practices, facilitate knowledge exchange, and forge partnerships with partners and other relevant stakeholders. It aims to generate political commitments and concrete actions that support social justice to build a better world for all. Its areas of immediate action are: Addressing inequality, discrimination and exclusion; Realising labour rights as human rights, ensuring human dignity and meeting basic needs; Expanding access to and capabilities for productive and freely chosen employment and sustainable enterprises; Providing protection and building resilience; Strengthening just transitions and the social dimension of sustainable development, trade and investment; and Reinforcing institutions of social dialogue.
Photo : ILO headquarters in Geneva, By BiiJii - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18614189
