On March 3, 2016, during the International Co-operative Alliance's board meeting in Sydney (AU), Monique Leroux, President of the International Co-operative Alliance and representatives of the Alliance’s four regions, Europe, Africa, Asia and Pacific and Americas, signed an internal agreement for a global development programme to benefit and advance the co-operative sector worldwide.
Titled “Co-operatives in development – people-centered businesses in action”, the programme is to run until 31 August 2020.
The programme is co-funded by the European Union as part of its commitment to support Civil Society Organisations active in development.
Alliance President Monique Leroux:”We thank the European Commission for awarding the Alliance with their support. We are pleased that the global structure of the International Co-operative Alliance – its membership, its governance, its organization – but also the purpose and impact of its actions have convinced the European Commission that co-operatives are a lever for sustainable development.”
Charles Gould, Director-general of the Alliance: “Co-operatives are highly relevant in the realization of United Nations’ sustainable development goals. They provide access to credit, rural electrification, health care services, food production, marketing, housing, new-business support — all of which contribute to income development and security. Europe’s support of our programme, is a new step in implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We are proud and eager to launch the Co-operatives in Development programme.”
The 2012 EU Communication ‘Europe’s engagement with Civil Society in external relations’ formally recognized co-operatives as being a distinct civil society actor. This had been achieved after years of bilateral relations by Alliance regions within the consultative EU Policy Forum on Development.
