Cooperatives are leading the way in democratising science and technology, contributing significantly to the SDGs, concluded a side event at the United Nations’ Summit of the Future.
Held on 20 September, the virtual event was organised by Permanent Missions of Mongolia and Kenya to the United Nations, in collaboration with the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC).
The opening session was moderated by Simel Esim, the head of the International Labour Organisation’s Coop Unit.
“The new generation's commitment to sustainability aligns perfectly well with the cooperative principles and values” she said.
Addressing participants, H.E. Mr Ankhbayar Nyamdorj, Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations, highlighted the role of cooperatives in providing decent employment for youth in his country.
“Technology-free, savvy young people could be a driving force of future cooperatives in transforming their use of science, and bringing innovative solutions for improving the current value chain cycle of products and services,” he said.
H.E. Ms Njambi Kinyungu, Chargé d’Affaires, representing the Permanent Mission of Kenya to the United Nations, also explained how cooperatives are providing finance to SMEs, creating jobs and building resilient economies.
“Through international cooperation, we can bridge the digital divide and realise the full potential of cooperatives into the future,” she said.
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Director General Jeroen Douglas emphasised that cooperatives give young people a purpose. Many youth-led cooperatives will be showcased at the ICA Global Conference in New Delhi (25-30 November) which will also feature a cooperative hackaton.
“It's inspiring to see that youth is really taking over the leadership in the cooperative movement,” he said.
The opening session was followed by a panel discussion exploring the role of cooperatives and technology in empowering young people.
“In a world where young people are often struggling with economic challenges and uncertainty, cooperatives can offer a unique transformative approach,” said Il-Cheong Yi from the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, who moderated the panel.
Tom Ivey, Community Development manager at Dot.coop, explained how his organisation celebrates successful cooperative initiatives through Stories.coop, a platform featuring stories about cooperatives and a Cooperative World Map, which will be launched at the ICA Global Conference in New Delhi.
“We're very excited with the opportunity that technology provides, particularly in improving cooperatives’ visibility, communication and ability to provide good and ethical work for the youth,” said Mr Ivey.
The panel also heard from Francesca Martinelli, Director of DOC Servizi Foundation.
“The strength of cooperatives when using data, Artificial Intelligence or new technologies is that they are guided by an ethic that leads them to manage the tools in a way that responds to the needs of the person, which they put at the centre, and not of profit, which is instead a means to achieve certain shared ends,” she said.
Salma Hachimi Alaoui, the President of Innovtention Cooperative, Morocco, described her cooperative’s work to drive innovation in industrial automation and robotics engineering.
“Through our work, we actively contribute to the SDGs, driving economic dynamism and innovation,” she said.
Lucila Domínguez, from Digital Development Cooperative FACTTIC, in Argentina, shared how her organisation is attracting more young people into the cooperative movement through incubation and advocacy initiatives such as Patio, a global network of tech worker cooperatives.
Kishor Kumar, Chief Project Coordinator, ULCCS, India addressed the panel via a video message in which he talked about his cooperative’s initiatives to foster young and drive innovation, including launching an Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction to provide training to young looking for jobs and establishing a startup ecosystem.
The panel was followed by an interactive discussion moderated by the ICA’s Director of Policy, Joseph Njuguna.
Bringing the event to a close, Andrew Allimadi from UNDESA, thanked participants and speakers on behalf of the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC).
“It's been very inspiring to listen to what's happening and to know that the there's so many connections globally,” he said.
The full recording is available here.
Photo: (From top left to bottom right) Francesca Martinelli, Salma Hachimi Alaoui, Tom Ivey, and Lucila Domínguez
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