Project Design and Coordinators: Professor Raymond Saner, University of Basle & CSEND Geneva
Professor Lichia Yiu, Centre for Socio-Economic Development, Geneva
Overview
Port cities are facing today new challenges related to environmental management and the management of territorial conflicts (conflicting uses of coastal space, conflicts for the allocation of coastal resources, etc.). As a consequence, environmental and territorial policies and management arrangements at a variety of scales (local, regional, national and international) are becoming mandatory strategic consideration for port cities and their coastal regions. In particular, for ports, the capability to cooperate at regional scale and that of promoting innovation in technological and organizational issues are as much factors shaping their success as are traditional forces of competition.
CSEND designs and facilitates stakeholder interactions on issues of public interests through workshops, forums, action research, conferences and use of role-play simulations.
Together with its partner and associates, CSEND has been active in the UNFCCC arena in order to promote public awareness, effective participation and socio-eco-logical sustainable solutions to the climate change challenge.
Raymond Saner, Lichia Saner Yiu, and Samuel Bruelisauer, (2022) “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Social and Solidarity Economy”
Encyclopedia of the Social and Solidarity Economy (forthcoming 2023) published by Edward Elgar Publishing Limited in partnership with United Nations InterAgency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE).
Principles and values associated with the SSE played an important role in the early production and use of information and communication technology (ICT). What began with the ‘free software movement’ which promoted the development of operating systems and applications for computers, servers and smart phones based on collaboration, openness, and control by users, has grown into a variety of organizations that offer products and services. At the same time, a few large ICT companies of the commercial private sector lead and dominate. This entry explains the emergence of ICT and its impact on the economy and describes the role of SSE organisations and enterprises (SSEOEs) in developing and producing ICT. It further discusses how SSEOEs respond to trends associated with ICT by using and operating technologies in line with their principles and values. The entry closes with an examination of the challenges and opportunities of SSEOEs in the face of recent ICT-related trends.
The UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (TFSSE) was established to raise the visibility of the SSE in international knowledge and policy circles. SSE holds considerable promise for addressing the economic, social and environmental integrated approaches of sustainable development.
CSEND has Observer status in TFSSE since August 2017
Tags: Cooperatives; Cooperative ESG; Governance; Boundary workers; Members versus externals; Platform support
Cooperatives are frequently presumed to align with sustainability due to their democratic governance and community focus, yet empirical evidence on their implementation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards remains fragmented. This article analyzes ESG practices across six cooperative sectors—agriculture, finance, housing, consumer/retail, utilities, and worker/platform cooperatives—using comparative document analysis, sectoral case studies, and emerging federation guidelines. We introduce the cooperative boundary of responsibility to examine how ESG and Decent Work obligations extend beyond member-owners to employees, contractors, seasonal laborers, and platform workers. Findings reveal that while cooperatives excel in democratic governance and community-oriented social metrics, ESG adoption varies significantly by sector. Performance weakens where labor relations diverge from membership structures, particularly in outsourced, seasonal, or digitally mediated work. Environmental reporting is inconsistent, with gaps in accountability for non-member workers. For example, agricultural cooperatives often lack robust environmental metrics, while platform cooperatives struggle to ensure fair wages and protections for gig workers. By synthesizing cross-sector evidence, this study advances debates on cooperative governance by demonstrating how institutional design, labor models, and sectoral constraints shape ESG outcomes. It highlights the tension between cooperatives’ member-centric ethos and the broader sustainability expectations of global supply chains, regulatory frameworks, and consumer demands. The article concludes with actionable recommendations: (i) strengthening ESG capabilities through federation-led training and capacity-building initiatives; (ii) standardizing reporting frameworks to address sectoral disparities and improve transparency, and (iii) reconciling cooperative identity with global sustainability expectations, particularly for non-member labor. The analysis underscores the need for policy and managerial interventions to close responsibility gaps and uphold ESG commitments across cooperative ecosystems. By addressing these challenges, cooperatives can better align their operations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reinforce their role as drivers of inclusive, sustainable development.
Principles and values associated with the SSE played an important role in the early production and use of ICT. What began with the ‘free software movement’ which promoted the development of operating systems and applications for computers, servers and smartphones based on collaboration, openness, and control by users, has grown into a variety of organizations that offer products and services. At the same time, the ICT industry has consolidated and is now dominated by a few large ICT companies of commercial private sector orientation. This book chapter narrates the emergence of ICT and its impact on the economy and describes the role of SSE organisations (SSEOs) in developing and producing ICT. It further discusses how SSE organizations respond to trends associated with ICT by using and operating technologies in line with their principles and values. The book chapter closes with an examination of the challenges and opportunities of SSEOs in the face of recent ICT-related trends.
Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on “Social Development: Recover better from the Covid 19 Pandemic” Joint workshop by UNDESA and ICA, June 2021, Presentation by Raymond Saner titled: Cooperatives for Economic and Social Development
Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu & Melanie Nguyen (2019) PLATFORM COOPERATIVES:
THE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY AND THE FUTURE OF WORK: A Preliminary Assessment of Platform Capitalism and Platform Cooperativism and their Effects on Workers’ Satisfaction
