ILO Marks 15 Years of SCORE Program Supporting SMEs

ILO marked the 15th anniversary of its Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) program with an event at its Geneva headquarters. Launched in 2010, SCORE has supported SMEs across more than 30 countries to improve productivity and workplace conditions.

Since its inception, SCORE has aimed to improve business performance and ensure safer, fairer workplaces. Participating firms have reported tangible results, including higher productivity, improved workplace cooperation, better wage conditions, product quality enhancements, and progress toward gender equality.

“SCORE demonstrates that decent work and business success are not competing priorities. Rather, they reinforce each other,” said Mia Seppo, Assistant Director General for Jobs and Social Protection, ILO, during the opening remarks. “Managers and workers both benefit.”

Jointly funded by Switzerland’s State Ministry for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), and other development partners, SCORE has become one of the ILO’s longest-running development cooperation programs. It focuses on enhancing collaboration between employers and workers while promoting sustainable business practices in developing economies across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Philipp Orga, Head of Operations, SECO, emphasized Switzerland’s continued support, noting that SCORE has grown into one of SECO’s flagship initiatives for promoting decent employment. “Together with the Norwegian government, we have supported SCORE for the past fifteen years because we share a deep conviction that productivity and decent work go hand in hand,” said Orga, “The outcomes have proven this right.”

Jannicke Graatrud, Norway’s Deputy Permanent Representative, UN, echoed these sentiments. She underlined that SCORE is an example of how global cooperation can result in measurable improvements for workers and businesses alike. “We are pleased to see SCORE’s training services continuing even in countries where donor support has gradually decreased, a clear sign of the program’s sustainability and maturity,” she said.

As the program enters its next phase, organizers emphasized the importance of adapting to evolving economic contexts and sustaining local ownership to ensure continued relevance. While donor involvement may shift, ILO signaled its intent to maintain SCORE as a cornerstone of its enterprise support initiatives.