The UN has issued a report highlighting growing global recognition of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) and the important role of cooperatives in advancing sustainable development, decent work and social justice.
The report of the secretary-general, Promoting the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development, finds the sector has received greater legal, policy and institutional attention in recent years, although it warns that progress in translating commitments into effective implementation and sustained results remains uneven.
The SSE includes co-ops, associations, mutuals, foundations, social enterprises, self-help groups and other entities that put people and social purpose at the centre of economic activity. They are guided by principles including voluntary co-operation, mutual aid, participatory governance and the primacy of people and social purpose over capital.
The report documents a wide range of national initiatives. Brazil established a national solidarity economy policy and system, while Spain adopted comprehensive legislation covering the social economy and co-operatives. India adopted a national cooperation policy in 2025, Saudi Arabia adopted its first national strategy for the co-operative sector and Türkiye adopted a co-operative strategy for 2025–2029. Indonesia, meanwhile, set a target of establishing, developing or revitalising 80,000 village and urban community co-operatives.
These developments built on the momentum of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, adds the report. In December 2025, the General Assembly encouraged the continued implementation and exchange of practices developed during the Year and called for an International Year of Cooperatives to be proclaimed every 10 years after 2025.
The growing importance of co-ops and the wider SSE has also been recognised in major global agreements. The Doha Political Declaration at the World Social Summit recognised the role of the SSE in poverty eradication, social inclusion and social transformation and included a commitment to supporting the sector.
The Sevilla Commitment also committed to facilitating their growth and encouraged access to tailored financial and non-financial assistance.
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The report also points to the sector’s economic and employment contribution. In France, the social economy accounted for nearly 11% of all employee posts in 2023, while Spain estimated that it accounted for 4% of national gross value added and 5.8% of total employment. Honduras identified 584 active co-ops employing 10,782 people directly, while India classified approximately 659,000 co-ops as functional.
Despite growing momentum, the report identifies persistent challenges, including gaps in statistics and access to appropriate financing. It calls for stronger legal and institutional frameworks, increased financial and non-financial support, better data and greater integration of the SSE into policies on employment, social protection, care, housing, agriculture and food systems, energy and climate action, culture and territorial development.
Looking towards 2030 and beyond, the report emphasises “the need to turn growing political recognition into effective policies, institutions, financing and sustained international co-operation, strengthening the contribution of co-operatives and the wider SSE to sustainable development and social justice”.
