The International Co-operative Alliance has received the 2012 Pepe Miquel Award, which is organised by Confederación de Cooperativas (Valencia), and recognises the ICA's work to promote and sustain the co-operative model globally. Dame Pauline Green, President of the ICA, collected the prize on 10 July in Valencia, which is the first time an organisation has received the annual award. She said it is a privilege for the ICA to receive the recognition, especially in the context of the International Year of Co-operatives: “I am conscious that this award is given to the ICA for the work that it has done over its 117 year history as steward of the values and principles of our global movement and for its work to drive the development of co-operatives across the world. “But in reality, it also represents the intrinsic recognition of the work of the billions of individual co-operators who are the real heroes and heroines,” she said. “As co-operators, we know that the world would be a different place if just a fraction of the public money that went to bail out the big commercial banks across the world, had been put into co-operative development." The ICA President also praised the contribution of the ICA's 296 members and the billion co-operative members from all over the world. She told the 200-strong audience that co-operatives have been promoting sustainable development by boosting economic growth and putting the global economy “at the service of people” rather than “leaving people at its mercy”. At the event, Dame Pauline added that co-operatives could also help regenerate the Spanish economy, which has been severely affected by the financial crisis. She also congratulated the government of Mariano Rajoy for increasing finance for the social economy to more than 940 million euros, which includes the development of worker co-operatives. Dame Pauline said: “The ICA’s key strategy for the coming decade is to grow the co-operative model of business across the world — this is a real prize for all of us! “The ICA Board sees this International Year as the beginning of a modern, confident, outward looking and creative co-operative movement. This award is a great moral support and motivation for us to continue that work with the worldwide co-operative movement and I thank you on behalf of this great movement from the bottom of my heart.” On the jury, which handed out the eighth Pepe Miquel award, were representatives from the co-operative, university and political worlds. The prize is normally awarded every year under two categories — the lifetime achievement co-operative award and the prize for the best journalistic work. This year's journalistic prize went to newspaper Levante-EMV (Editorial Prensa Ibérica). Emili Villaescusa, President of Confederación de Cooperativas, also said that since the beginning of the financial crisis in in Spain the number of job losses within the co-operative sector had been ten per cent below the country's average, proving that co-operatives can be part of the solution to the economic crisis. “This award granted to the ICA is very special. This is the first time the Pepe Miquel prize for co-operation goes to an institution, and we are proud that the person who came to collect it is a major representative of the co-operative movement in the world, Dame Pauline Green, who was also the first woman to come to the stage and collect the prize,” he added. Dame Pauline echoed Mr Villaescusa's views on employment within co-operatives during a visit to Consum Cooperativa's warehouse, which is the largest consumer co-operative in the Mediterranean with 600 supermarkets. Talking with Consum's President Francesc Llobell, Dame Pauline said that "in an environment where unemployment figures are becoming less encouraging, co-operatives continue to increase their profits and their staff, creating stable and quality employment". She added that "in a year when most of the business faltered, Consum has managed to grow profits in a sustainable manner". During her tour around Valencia, Dame Pauline also visited Anecoop, which is Spain's leader in marketing fruit, vegetables and salads, as well as being a world leader in citrus fruit exporting. She said that both of the co-operatives "have put in strong financial performances in difficult economic circumstances". Picture: Dame Pauline is pictured with fellow award winner Ferrán Belda, Director Levante-EMV, with (left) Alberto Fabra, President, Generalitat Valenciana and Emili Villaescusa.
