Cooperatives’ Contribution To SDG 8: Policy Brief By COPAC and ICA

As part of the “Building a Better World Together: Cooperative Contributions to SDGs” policy brief series for the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2025, a new brief on SDG 8 – “Promote Sustained, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth, Full and Productive Employment and Decent Work for All,” released in May 2025. It highlights how cooperatives contribute to generating quality employment, advancing workers’ rights, and fostering inclusive and sustainable economies.

From the Asia-Pacific region, the brief featured the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) Limited. Founded in 1925 in Kerala, India, ULCCS has grown from a small rural collective into one of India’s largest and most diversified worker-owned cooperatives. It employs over 18,000 workers who are also cooperative members, ensuring democratic governance and control. The cooperative provides fair wages, social security, skills development, and safe working conditions, while prioritizing worker welfare over profit through health insurance, pensions, and continuous upskilling. Recognized by the UN and ILO, ULCCS exemplifies how worker cooperatives can advance decent work and inclusive growth.

Produced by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), with contributions from the International Labour Organization (ILO), this brief affirms the unique role of cooperatives in advancing SDG 8 during IYC 2025.

The policy brief is available for download in English, French, and Spanish.