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Delegates at Co-operatives United were asked to be the voice of the one billion co-operators around the world and to keep up the momentum of the International Year of Co-operatives.
ICA President Dame Pauline Green told co-operators that “we must not allow that momentum to be lost”. She said: “This UN International Year of Co-operatives has been a fabulous year. As I visited the movement across the world, I can’t help being struck by the impact. The impact of the logo and slogan, ‘Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World’.
“It adds to our values, it adds publicly who we are. Never before in its history has the co-operative movement globally come together around a single logo and slogan, we have never been as cohesive as we are now.”
Talking about her journey around the world across all continents, Dame Pauline said: “I have felt a huge increase in confidence as they begin to sense the strength of a billion people around them.”
Although, she said that this year also brought recession for many countries; and despite co-operative banks coming out stronger than traditional banks, the movement is not represented on the World Bank board or the B20, the business arm of the G20.
Said Dame Pauline: “That simply will not do, we represent one billion people and I am told that when I make this case, it’s idealistic. I have to share that one billion people can’t be wrong, they are not starry-eyed idealists, they are realists.
In talking about a future strategy for co-operatives, Dame Pauline added: “Are we going to just shake hands and say what a great year? Are we going to retain are momentum? The ICA is determined to capture this moment, I am delighted to launch the ICA Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade!”
The Blueprint was unveiled at Co-operatives United and discussed later during the ICA Extraordinary General Assembly. The Blueprint was formed by co-operators around the world, and part of this came from the International Summit of Cooperatives in Quebec last month.
Monique Leroux, Chief Executive of Desjardins, the organiser of the Summit, presented the Declaration to Dame Pauline during the Opening Ceremony. As Ms Leroux shared with delegates the key points of the declaration, she said: “I can still feel the positive energy of the Summit.”
She said the Summit primarily aimed to provide an economic forum where co-operators from all over the world could work together to develop ideas and solutions, make new contacts and promote growth, performance and innovation. She also said the Summit has succeeded in promoting the co-operative business model on the global political and economic stage.
“All participants acknowledged the contribution co-ops make to the economy,” she said, adding that co-ops “get people involved” and “promote job creation”.
• Find out more about the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade.
