The International Labour Organisation (ILO) held a conference in Busan, the Republic of Korea, to explore how robust and consistent statistics can be used to shape better policies and interventions for co-operatives.
The conference showcased findings of the Strengthening Social and Solidarity Economy Knowledge Base project, funded by the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour (MoEL). Researchers from Korea, Italy, Costa Rica, Turkey and Tanzania, told how the project examined the applicability of ILO guidelines on co-op statistics to national contexts.
They also discussed ways to improve and harmonise statistical methods so that they can support better policies and decision-making related to co-ops, while taking account of diversity in national practices and circumstances.
The recommendations will feed into an ILO manual on co-op statistics, covering practices for collecting, analysing and disseminating data, which is expected to be presented at the 2028 International Conference of Labour Statisticians.
Speakers included Seongkweun Lee, vice mayor for economic affairs of Busan City; Youngkwi Yun, director of the Sustainable Economy Division at the Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance; and Hyungon Jung, president of the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency.
Also speaking was Ariel Guarco, president and acting director general of the International Cooperative Alliance, who toild delegates: “We are taking fundamental steps to standardise statistics on co-operatives, which will reinforce the leading position of the co-operative paradigm on the agenda of major global debates, in addition to consolidating the position of our organisations in each country and in each region.
“Having valid statistics on the performance of co-operatives allows us to visualise that we are the best model for building a sustainable future in environmental, social and economic matters.”
