The ICA gained four new full members in May 2024: Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción y Prestación de Servicios Cuauhtémoc (SCL) from Mexico; Cambodia Agricultural Cooperative Alliance (CAC Alliance) from Cambodia; Federación de Cooperativas de Vivienda de Usuarios por Ahorro Previo (FECOVI) from Uruguay and Providers Multipurpose Cooperative from the Philippines.
SCL is a cooperative specialising in transporting construction materials using state-of-the-art vehicles and trailers. The cooperative is made up of 86 members and features a foundation and a business group. Since 2015 SCL has been certified as a Socially Responsible Company by the WORLDCOB (World Confederation of Businesses). Its four branches are located in strategic areas, which allows it to cover the whole country. It joined the ICA to participate in events, share knowledge and experiences, forge inter-cooperative links and reaffirm its cooperative identity.
Cambodia Agricultural Cooperative Alliance (CAC Alliance) is a non-profit corporation serving 17 unions of agriculture cooperatives with 1,236 agriculture cooperatives. Its members include cooperatives formed by local communities and their farms to better manage and distribute their crop production. Over the next five years, CAC will focus on its institutional capacity, financial viability, member services, value chain development and creating an enabling environment for the sector. It joined the ICA to gain knowledge on cooperatives and share the best practices with its members.
Federación de Cooperativas de Vivienda de Usuarios por Ahorro Previo (FECOVI) from Uruguay is a federation of housing cooperatives founded in 1984. Its activities include representing and promoting housing cooperatives and providing support services to them, including technical advice on economic, social, legal and architectural matters, as well as ongoing training through regular courses and workshops. The federation also carries out studies and develops proposals for improvement, and engages in dialogues with political, governmental and civil society actors to promote cooperatives in general, and housing cooperativism in particular. It joined the ICA to expand the cooperative model of pre-saved housing to other countries and take ideas and examples from other countries to improve its model. It also aims to contribute to the strengthening of the national and international cooperative system, as well as the social and solidarity economy for a fairer and more sustainable society.
Providers Multipurpose Cooperative from the Philippines is a multi-service cooperative providing lending and deposits, insurance, funeral care, healthcare and retail services. It was initially set up as a savings and credit cooperative but it became a multi-service cooperative in 2014. The cooperative has 20,814 individual members. It joined the ICA to gain access to its global network and engage with cooperatives in other countries.
May also saw Coompanion - Kooperativ Utveckling Sverige from Sweden change its status from Associate to Full Member.
The ICA now has 306 member organisations of which 269 are Full Members and 37 are Associate Members from 105 countries.
Photo: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Getty Images
