During the Global Conference and General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, several international co-operators put their voice together to highlight the power of co-operatives and the Alliance's past and future leading the co-operative movement. See it below:
Hear the speech that Mme. Monique F. Leroux, outgoing President of the International Co-operative Alliance, gave during the Alliance's Global Conference and General Assembly on the 17th of November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (speaking notes below).
Speaking notes of Monique F. Leroux, outgoing President of the International Co-operative Alliance, Friday, November 17, Kuala Lumpur
Dear cooperators,
Dear colleagues,
Dear friends,
As I see you gathered in such great numbers in this hall for our Annual General Meeting, I can’t help but see in you the full power of our Movement.
A Movement that is defined by its diversity, ability to collaborate, and humanity certainly, but, above all, its desire to help build a better world.
Your desire to make a tangible difference in the lives of people is what prompted me to take on the presidency of the International Cooperative Alliance.
Together, over the past two years, we have worked on Uniting, Promoting and Developing the Movement.
Through our actions, we created a Momentum to keep defining our contribution to the global economy.
When we look at the world around us, as it starts closing in on itself, from Europe to the United States, so often yielding to inter-community mistrust, having difficulty sharing the fruits of growth, we cannot escape the obvious.
Trust must be restored. States and institutions must regain their value. People needs to be united.
A place must be restored for citizens and communities.
Communities must be able to project their voices and design the future to match their beliefs and ambitions.
Cooperatives and mutuals are a uniquely suited vehicle for restoring the economy to the service of men and women…not the reverse.
The end game of economic development is not to achieve wealth for a few, but to achieve well-being for as many as possible by giving them the ability to set up a business, to have a decent job and be the master of their own future.
That sequence of priorities is precisely what the cooperative world provides.
Our voice matters
We have a key role to play.
Throughout the past mandate, the cooperative voice was heard by several international forums and institutions.
Among others, I am thinking of our representations at the United Nations, the European Commission, and various forums, including the three editions of the B20: Turkey, China and Germany.
We took the reins by proposing avenues for action on employability, small and medium-sized enterprises, health, education, the digital economy, sustainable development and trade.
We promoted the implementation of the best conditions for stimulating the growth of cooperatives and strengthening their presence and distinctive voice in solving global challenges.
We promoted our business model before international political and economic leaders: our recommendations were among those tabled before the G20.
Those are big steps forward.
Thanks to our team efforts, our voice was strong.
Our voice was heard.
Our voice counted.
Cooperatives and mutuals are rooted in their communities, which is their strength. But they also have a significant global impact, and that is also our strength.
Cooperatives and mutuals generate economic benefits through an approach that focuses on protecting societies and our planet.
We shared our day-to-day contribution with UN ambassadors on the International Day of Cooperatives in 2016.
And the UN saw the power of cooperatives and the pertinence of cooperation in achieving a better world. The UN asked us what cooperatives and mutuals can do officially to help achieve their sustainable development goals.
We responded to their invitation.
At that point, we became the first economic group in the world to make an official undertaking in support of those 17 goals.
We did so through several projects in several regions, but mostly we demonstrated the extent of our ability to intervene, at the last International Summit of Cooperatives, where we made a commitment to UN ambassadors to deliver a fighting force of more than 700 projects.
We demonstrated that together, cooperatives and mutuals help:
alleviate poverty,
eradicate hunger,
generate clean energy,
help refugees and provide essential services to communities,
create sustainable jobs, and
support gender equality.
Cooperatives and mutuals are a true vector of change for our society.
We must pursue our collective efforts.
Cooperation is not the work of one single person, but rather that of a team, as it joins to keep making a difference.
We have to keep in mind that our Movement’s greatest strength lies in our ability to cooperate with one another, to intercooperate.
The world is constantly changing.
Technology is evolving at a frantic pace.
There is no doubt that each and every one of us can make a difference, but together we must go much faster.
If the best projects of our organizations become participatory projects, intercooperation projects, we will automatically improve our weight in the markets. We need to move forward.
Corporate businesses are increasing the number of consortiums and partnerships to develop and implement their projects.
Why not cooperatives?
The partnership signed between the Alliance and the European Commission is a tangible example of the benefits of joining forces.
Through this partnership, we strengthened our concerted actions in every Alliance region.
This partnership has improved our intercooperation, which we must now consolidate in order to not only achieve the objectives of the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, but also to ensure our survival.
This message of intercooperation and partnership must also be heard by the primary cooperatives. They do outstanding work as showcases of the cooperative model on the world stage through their size and performance.
But they could play an even more structuring role. They are in a position to provide a major boost to the notion of intercooperation by promoting supplier networks and partners in the cooperative movement.
They provide tremendous leadership, and we need their engagement and support.
This intercooperation must also guide our views about the place of the next generation in the cooperative movement. We need young people and their daring, we need tomorrow’s talents, and we need to engage those future young entrepreneurs in the cooperative model.
And we will be able to do it better, and attract more of them, by strengthening their presence in every dimension of economic and social life.
Every one of you contributes in your own way to the power of our Movement.
Your commitment is exemplary.
Your support is essential and unique.
I am very grateful to you.
During my mandate, I had the opportunity to work with a committed Board of Directors committed to work for the future of the global cooperative and mutualist movement.
In order to ensure the implementation of our collective ambitions, the Board of Directors conducted an extensive review of the Alliance’s actions and activities.
The members of the Board acted with humility and discipline throughout this exercise, which called for transparency and frank discussions.
The Board addressed a number of aspects, including a review of the financial situation, communications, and engaging primary cooperatives and membership, all to ensure that the Alliance’s actions and priorities remained in tune with global issues.
During that exercise, the Board had one objective: to hold our ground and to keep expanding the International Cooperative Alliance.
Their experience and recommendations led to an action plan that was presented by your regional and sectoral bodies.
The plan generated a lot of positive feedback and comments, as would be expected given our collective commitment.
In a few minutes, during our Annual General Meeting, you will have to vote on a motion to mandate the next Board to continue the work we started.
I think that the Alliance has a positive momentum that should be maintained and pursued.
Our movement is based on democratic principles, and the voice of our members is the path to progress.
The same goes for innovation.
Cooperative businesses have nothing to envy corporate businesses. But they do face the same challenges in the marketplace.
We must continue to innovate in order to remain competitive in the markets. Cooperation rests on principles that we proudly espouse.
It is our capacity to win that will promote and strengthen our cooperative principles.
We live in a competitive universe. Consumers are looking for the best price, the best quality, and the best solution.
If cooperatives can offer that, then the cooperative model will be able to shine brighter and gain ground.
To do that, we have to dare!
Dare to engage in innovative projects that will change the landscape.
Dare to commit to new technologies.
Dare to introduce the tools needed to join the new economies.
Dare to fully support the youth in giving them their rightful place in our official bodies.
In closing, I would like to express my deepest appreciation for your support, ideas, generosity, commitment and passion, all of which drive you every day.
Over the span of four years, I have had the opportunity to visit more than 30 countries and to meet cooperators working in different sectors around the world.
Our movement is bountiful.
Bountiful in its history, in the people who make it and in its ambitions for building a fairer and more equitable world for future generations.
It was a real privilege for me to serve the global cooperative movement.
Thank you for this honour.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for you trust.
And, long life to the cooperative movement and to the International Co-operative Alliance!
Thank you!
