Village Cooperatives as Instruments for the Fulfillment of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: A Human Rights-Based Approach

Abstract

This study examines the role of village cooperatives as instruments for the fulfillment of economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCR) through a human rights-based approach (HRBA). The study employs normative legal research using statute, conceptual, and documentary policy-case approaches. Primary legal materials include the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Law No. 25 of 1992 on Cooperatives, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), International Labour Organization Recommendation No. 193, and Presidential Instruction No. 9 of 2025 concerning the acceleration of Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives Merah Putih. Secondary materials consist of scholarly literature and official policy documents. Legal materials are analyzed qualitatively through legal interpretation, systematic legal reasoning, and normative-policy analysis. The analysis shows that village cooperatives have a multidimensional human-rights function: they can expand access to work, income, capital, markets, essential goods, social services, and community participation, while also supporting local solidarity and cultural identity. A documentary policy case of the Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives Merah Putih demonstrates both the scale of the policy opportunity and the governance risks. By 19 July 2026, official government monitoring reported 83,381 legally established cooperatives, 80,977 with SIMKOPDES accounts, 60,786 with business identification numbers, 16,868 completed outlets, and 35,476 personnel being prepared for management and support functions. These figures indicate substantial institutional expansion, but they do not by themselves demonstrate the realization of rights. Therefore, cooperative development must be accompanied by participation, accountability, transparency, non-discrimination, empowerment, and effective remedy. The study proposes a rights-based governance framework that links cooperative capacity, inclusive participation, public accountability, and measurable ESCR outcomes