The new global co-operative identity will help to raise the profile of co-operatives from all over the world.
Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance, explained to delegates at the Co-operative Party conference in the UK why the new identity was a big step forward for the global co-operative movement.
She said the new identity, due to be revealed at ICA’s General Assembly in Cape Town next month, was designed to take forward the momentum created by the International Year of Co-operatives.
Describing the year as a “huge gift from the United Nations”, Dame Pauline said the UN’s endorsement has helped to increase awareness of the size and confidence of the movement.
Speaking to the political wing of the British movement, Dame Pauline said: “Our movement is owned across the globe by one billion people”. She added that co-operators from all over the world needed to exercise their power and make sure their voice was heard.
Dame Pauline also said that throughout 2013 the ICA has been working on various projects aimed at strengthening the movement. Two of the most important achievements being the building of the World Co-operative Monitor, which is set to unveiled next month in Cape Town, and the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade. The Monitor, a database that includes over 2,200 co-operatives from 61 countries, helped to showcase the size of the sector. Last year, it revealed that the top 300 co-operatives were worth just under USD $2 trillion.
The Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, explained Dame Pauline, has set out policy priorities for the global co-operative movement in terms of sustainability, legal framework, capital, participation and identity.
Co-operatives have a role to play in tackling climate change, as well as in international development and food security, she said. The movement's important contribution was mentioned in the final document of Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
Speaking of the collaboration between United Nations (UN) bodies and the ICA, Dame Pauline Green revealed that the ICA has signed a new partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization for helping to develop co-operatives across the South Saharan region.
Although the ICA has consultative status with the UN, co-operatives have not exercised their power, argued the ICA President. As they are not listed on the stock market, co-operatives tend to be ignored by the business sector, added Dame Pauline.
She encouraged co-operators to campaign for the inclusion of co-operatives within the B20, the international summit meeting of delegates from business groups around the world.
Photo: Dame Pauline Green speaking at the Co-operative Party Conference in Edinburgh.
