On 16-17 November, the Alliance participated as an expert speaker in a meeting organised by the Division for Social Policy and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to exchange ideas on how co-operatives can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Experts from the co-operative movement, the UN, and academia each presented papers in support of the meeting’s theme: “Ensuring that no one is left behind: The co-operative sector as a partner in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.
Topics covered included the actual and potential economic, social, and environmental contributions of co-operatives to the SDGs; the strengths of co-operatives as partners; the resources of co-operatives to implement the SDGs; and the challenges for co-operatives.
The Alliance was represented by Chiyoge B. Sifa, Regional Director for Africa, who discussed how co-operatives empower women and families, and Fran McCrae, who presented the institutional resources of co-operatives at the global level.
The meeting’s conclusions and recommendations will be synthesised into a report for use by the UN and co-operative stakeholders.
To see the agenda, concept note, and presentations, please visit https://www.un.org/development/desa/cooperatives/what-we-do/meetings-and-workshops/egm-coops-2030agenda.html.
