Ahead of the ICA’s 2022 Mondiacult 2022 Side event – “Cooperatives are Key Stakeholders in advancing SDGs through Culture and the Creative Sector” – we spoke with some of those taking part to hear their views on cooperative enterprise, culture and sustainable development.
Fabíola da Silva Nader Motta is the General Manager of the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives. She is a political scientist with a strong background in advocacy, government, and institutional relations. She has been engaged in promoting cooperatives since 2009. Fabíola was educated at the Ohio University and the University of Brasília.
How do you see the relationship between cooperative enterprise, culture and sustainable development?
Sustainability is the main challenge of our time. Being able to improve the living conditions of our communities, while generating economic development and protecting our environment, is the main goal of the 2030 Agenda. We strongly believe that cooperatives are the best economic model to face that challenge in Brazil. OCB has been actively working to strengthen Brazilian cooperatives and promote the cooperative model as a tool for sustainable development. The concern for communities and sustainability are at the DNA of our business model, allowing us to do business and generate prosperity at the same time, wherever we are.
Why do you think it is important to preserve the culture of cooperation as an intangible cultural heritage?
Cooperatives can help humankind to strengthen a culture of sustainable business and inclusive growth. It is human essence to come together to achieve opportunity-generating development. Cooperatives go further, as it is the strength of each member that brings financial returns to them, generating prosperity for everyone around them. So, cooperation is a human practice and must be increasingly evidenced and encouraged for the benefit of society.
What activities does your own cooperative do in this area?
OCB is the apex organization for the cooperative movement in Brazil. We represent 4,880 coops, which congregate 18.8 million members. In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the ICA, we have been developing national projects to promote the 2030 Agenda to cooperatives in our country. We also offer training for cooperative members, directors and employees. OCB also has a national communication campaign to promote the Coop Marque to the Brazilian public. The results have been very encouraging: in 2021, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of cooperators in our country grew by more than 10%. Promoting the benefits of the cooperative culture is a central pillar of our strategy.
What do you hope to get out of the Mondiacult side-event?
We are very happy and excited about the participation of the cooperative movement at the Mondiacult 2022. This is an important international arena for promoting cooperation and the defence of cultural heritage. We appreciate the invitation and thank the International Cooperative Alliance, UNESCO and the Mexican Government for giving a relevant space for cooperative enterprises and, especially, for giving us the opportunity to present the Brazilian experience. We hope to learn from other experiences and advance in cooperation with cooperatives in other countries to promote sustainable development through our movement.
As part of this series, you can also read interviews with Christine Merkel (UNESCO), Caroline Woolard (www.Art.coop) and Fabíola da Silva Nader Motta (Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB)).
The ICA Mondiacult side-event takes place on: 26 September 13-17h (CEST)
The full programme for the side-event is available here.
Find the profile of speakers here.
Online participation is free - register here to join the webinar.
For additional information, visit the event website.
