The IV meeting of the co-operative organisations of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) was held on the 15th of May in Curitiba, Brazil. Many co-operators from different countries attended the event.
Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance, addressed the meeting highlighting the potential of co-operative economies in the BRICS countries and the role the Alliance can have in helping develop this potential.
After presentations of the state of the co-operative movements in the different countries, participants discussed the role of co-operatives in bringing social development in a sustainable way, followed by a lively discussion regarding the means of implementation of the ideas that have been set in the previous encounters.
Overall there was the general sense that despite some differences in culture and economic development, there is great potential for trade and inter-co-operation among the BRICS co-operative organisations and this should be developed further in a pragmatic way.
This event was held during the Expocoop trade fair where Dame Pauline Green also had the opportunity to emphasise, during the opening ceremony, the role of the Alliance in the development of the co-operative movement through the goals and strategies laid out in the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade.
A visit to local dairy and agricultural co-operatives and co-operative museums was organised, which provided participants the chance to see the importance, energy and potential of the co-operative movement in Brazil.
