Co-operative News - Singapore

Singaporean co-operators honoured in co-op awards

Emily Barker — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:24:13 +0000

Over 30 co-operators were honoured in the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) Honours Awards 2013 on 19 January.

Seven esteemed figures, including former Singapore President S R Nathan and the late Singapore President CV Devan Nair were celebrated for their contributions to the growth of the Singapore Co-operative Movement.

Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chairman of SNCF, said: “Without their support, vision and leadership through the decades, the Co-operative Movement would not have thrived and achieved a reach as wide today.”

Other 22 co-operators and co-operatives were also recognised from sectors such as finance, education, retail and social welfare.

NTUC FairPrice Co-operative, who received the Rochdale Plaque in 1998, was given the Special Rochdale Award, a new category nominated by SNCF to recognise the work that NTUC FairPrice has consistently accomplished in the last 15 years.

Another new category created was the Special Commendation Medal, given to individual co-operators for their outstanding body of work and contribution towards the Singapore Co-operative Movement.

The Co-operative Champion award, specially created for individuals who championed the co-operative missions, honoured Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC and NTUC FairPrice Chief Executive Officer, Seah Kian Peng, immediate past Secretary-General of NTUC and current Singapore Labour Foundation Deputy Chairman, Lim Boon Heng, former Minister of State for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, who also served as Chairman of the SNCF Board of Trustees, Chairman of Central Co-operative Fund and former Chairman of NTUC FairPrice, S Chandra Das and Chairman of Seacare Co-operative Limited Leow Ching Chuan.

The SNCF have also been supporting the Co-operative Movement in other areas. This includes awarding scholarships to three young individuals chosen from 150 applicants. They are: Li Mengzhu, 20, Joan Loh, 19 and Koh Wei Meng, 21.

SNCF are also launching a new Grant Framework under the Central Co-operative Fund to address the specific needs of co-operatives and to assits them with their growth and development.

The Grants can be used to set up co-ops or for existing co-ops to improve their productivity and services.

“The aim is to provide them with practical social entrepreneurial experience and provoke their sense of social mindedness. We have received very good support from the schools. We are working together with the Registry of Co-operative Societies to simplify the setup of co-operatives or form co-operative clubs in secondary schools to enable more young social entrepreneurs to use their passion and creativity to address social needs as part of character building;” said Mr Chan.

The Singapore Co-operative Movement celebrated the International Year of Co-operatives through a series of events including: Co-opaliciouz, the largest gathering of Singapore’s Co-op Movement in history and releasing a set of legal tender co-operatives stamps.

Singaporean co-operators' adventure to Malaysia

Emily Barker — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:54:54 +0000

Co-operatives from Singapore and Malaysia have set off on a road trip to strengthen trade relations between the two countries.

Co-op Wheels Adventure 2012 will help enable cross-border collaborations that will benefit the co-op movement in both countries.

The three-day expedition is supported by the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF), and was organised for the International Year of Co-operatives (IYC).

Mr Seah Kian Peng, Member of Parliament, flagged off the Singapore convoy on 5 October in his capacity as Advisor to the IYC National Committee Singapore and board member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).

The entourage of one bus and 14 cars, carrying more than 80 members from 12 co-ops, is personally led by SNCF’s Chairman, Mr Chan Tee Seng, and Chief Executive Officer, Ms Dolly Goh.

They will travel to Kuala Terengganu where they will meet and network with Malaysian co-ops and Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA), the national co-operative organisation of Malaysia.

“The opportunity to meet and interact with the Singapore co-operators is valuable. We believe given the proximity between the two nations, there will be immense synergies which we can tap into as the interaction continues,” said ANGKASA’s President, Prof. Dato' Dr. Mohd Ali Baharum.

The co-operators will get the chance to: visit co-operatives from various trades in Malaysia, attend a Gala Dinner sponsored by Angkasa, apex body for Malaysia’s Co-operative Movement and go on a scenic road-trip through popular spots like Kota Tinggi, Mersing, Sekayu Waterfall.

“Sustainability and delivering social good is at the core of every co-operative. Besides exploring productive collaborations to enhance their potential, the networking trip also provides a communicative channel to discuss the issues facing Singapore and Malaysia and how co-ops can better cater to societal needs,” said Ms Dolly Goh.

Singapore co-ops participating in this road trip include the Singapore Government Staff Credit Co-operative, Premier Security Co-operative, The Singapore Teachers Co-operative, Singapore Bank Employees Co-operative, Customs Credit Co-operative, Statutory Board Employees Co-operative, AUPE General Services Co-operative, TCC Credit Co-operative, Bedok Multi-purpose Co-operative and Citiport Credit Co-operative. They will be meeting their Malaysian counterparts such as Noor Arfa Batik Terengganu, Koperasi Niaga Losong, Koperasi Homestay and many more.

Singapore’s co-ops celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives

Emily Barker — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:46:25 +0000

This has been an eventful year for co-operatives in Singapore and around the world. The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives (IYC), as the movement seeks to raise the profile and promote the growth and formation of co- operatives worldwide.

As the apex body for Singapore’s co-op movement, the Singapore National Co-operatives Federation’s (SNCF) mission is to promote and develop co-operatives as sustainable enterprises through the principle of self and mutual help. Co-operative enterprises have played an important role in Singapore’s social and economic development over the past decades, and we are happy to celebrate their success.

One in two Singaporeans buy their groceries from NTUC FairPrice, a co-operative set up by the Labour Movement in Singapore. NTUC Income, the only co-operative insurer in Singapore, is the leading insurance provider in motor, health, and life insurance. Both Income and Fairprice are in the global 300 of co-operatives listed by the International Co-operative Alliance, a major index of the world's largest co-operative and mutual enterprises.

Also vital are the contributions Singapore’s credit co-operatives have made to improve the socio-economic conditions of Singaporeans. Financial co-ops like the TCC Credit Co-operative Limited and the Singapore Government Staff Credit Co-operative Society Limited have weathered economic storms and have been helping their members in financial need and providing financial security for more than 80 years. This speaks volume of the amount of social good credit co-ops have accomplished.

Co-operatives today are also attuned to society’s changing demographics. A fine example is Silver Horizon Travel Co- operative, which was set up to provide travel options and arrangements catering specially to seniors, an important demographic in our ageing population.

What differentiates co-operatives from other forms of social enterprises is that they are value-based organisations. In particular, the virtues of self and mutual help are so important in society, especially when faced with the challenges of increasing competition and stratification. Beyond economic success, we must also ask ourselves – what is the type of society that we want to build? By nurturing the formation of co-operative enterprises, we hope to offer more platforms, to foster a more caring and resilient society. Co-operatives are formed not only to help and serve its members in an economically sustainable way, but for the wider good of society.

I am pleased to share that as part of our celebrations this year, we have produced a series of children story books, or readers. The first of these readers, titled “A Very Big Storm”, teaches the value of cooperation. This book is now used in more than 250 kindergartens and childcare centers in Singapore. A mass reading of this book was organised in June this year at the Marina Barrage in the presence of our President, Dr Tony Tan. The book is now translated into Hangul, and is available to pre-schoolers in Korea.

The town of Rochdale, the birth place of co-operatives, has decided to carry this book in the Rochdale Museum, and 17 of its public libraries. In Singapore, the Seed Institute, which sponsored this book, has also submitted a proposal for the book to be translated into Chinese, under the Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism fund.

As we celebrate the success of co-ops here in Singapore, we hope that the co-operative model can be adopted, perhaps in partnership with the Government, to address some of the social challenges that we are facing today. These include an ageing population, health care needs and costs, low birth rates, and higher expectations of a young populace aspiring to a higher quality of life.

I hope that all of us will gain insights on how social capital drives profits, growth & sustainability.

Singapore Minister backs the strength of co-op business model

Emily Barker — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:43:48 +0000

The Singapore co-operative movement was highly praised by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports at their International Year of Co-operatives Regional Conference on 3 October.

In his speech, Mr Chun Sing said he was “honoured” to take part in the event and explained: “I am confident that the co-operative movement will stay resilient and continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of the members.”

Referencing the Singaporean co-operative movement, he explained there were 87 co-operatives serving around 1.4 million members in industries such as supermarkets, insurance and childcare.

He added: “In their own quiet and unassuming ways, they contribute to the economy, create jobs, help to reduce poverty and promote social integration.”

Singapore is home to a number of successful co-operatives including NTUC Income, the only insurance co-operative in the country, and the retailer NTUC Fairprice, both of whom are listed in the International Co-operative Alliance Global 300 list of top ranking co-ops.

Quoting the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, who said: “social safety nets have to be coupled with self-reliance and resilience”.

Mr Chun Sing said: “Self-reliance and resilience are the very values that co-operatives embrace and promote. Co-operatives strive to meet the collective economic and social needs of their members.”

He added: “Co-operatives also aim to build character and self-esteem in the young. On this front, Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) has been reaching out to young individuals in secondary schools, junior colleges, the Institute of Technical Education and polytechnics by holding road shows and assembly talks.”

Singapore has done a lot to celebrate the IYC, this included releasing a children’s storybook series on co-operation. One of these: ‘A Very Big Storm’ will be stocked in the Rochdale Pioneers Museum shop.

The Minister carried on by stating that decisions should always be made in the interests of the members and encouraged co-ops to apply for grants to help them grow. He said: “While co-operatives seek to build up or maintain their hardware in good condition, there should be equal or perhaps higher importance placed on the software – the people.”

“Co-operative leaders and employees should also continually upgrade themselves and be open to new but prudent practices.”

He finished by saying that 2012 was an “exciting year for co-operatives”.

The Chairman of the SNCF also made a speech at the conference. He said: “As we celebrate the success of co-ops here in Singapore, we hope that the co-operative model can be adopted, perhaps in partnership with the Government, to address some of the social challenges that we are facing today.

“These include an ageing population, health care needs and costs, low birth rates, and higher expectations of a young populace aspiring to a higher quality of life.”

The conference took place in Suntec City, Singapore and over 800 leaders of co-operative, charity and social enterprise sectors from across the region attended the event.

New children's book about co-operation launched in Singapore

Emily Barker — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:18:06 +0000

The second in a series of four IYC Children Storybooks about co-operation “Little Otter Goes Fishing” was launched at Co-opaliciouz, a family fun large scale event on 9 June 2012 at the Marina Barrage.

Little Otter wants to catch his own food, but he does not know where to begin. However, help is on the way when Big Otter utilises fun and interesting training techniques to teach Little Otter how to fish for himself.

The book was commissioned by SNCF and penned by international award winning local author Emily Lim and is based on the co-operative values of self and mutual help.

Through the illustration of self and mutual help values, young readers (aged 3-6 years) are shown how learning new skills can help one become more independent and less reliant on others while teaching them to help others in return.

“A Very Big Storm” and “Little Otter Goes Fishing” can be downloaded onto the iPhone, iPad and Android mobile application from Apple App Store and Android Marketplace.

Minister of State Halimah Yacob also lead 15,000 co-operative members, families and the public in a chorus reading of ‘A Very Big Storm’ .

MOS MCYS was accompanied by Ms Dolly Goh, SNCF Chief Executive Officer, Mr Zee Yoong Kang, SNCF 1st Deputy Chairman, Dr R Theyvendran, SNCF 2nd Deputy Chairman, and Ms Elaine Ng, National Library Board (NLB) Chief Executive Officer.

Singapore celebrate IYC with ‘Co-opaliciouz’ event

Emily Barker — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:12:59 +0000

Singapore marked the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) 2012 with the largest gathering of co-operative members, staff, and families in Singapore’s history at ‘Co-opaliciouz’ – an event held on 9 June 2012 at Marina Barrage.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam launched Co-opaliciouz, which centered on the spirit of ‘Coming together as One’. ‘Co-opaliciouz’ was organized by the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) and brought together more than 15,000 people to raise public awareness for Singapore’s co-operative movement of which 1 in 3 residents are members.

“We are proud that Co-opaliciouz served as a platform for the largest gathering of co-operative members, staff and their families in Singapore’s history. This demonstrated the strength of our movement where 1 in 3 Singapore Residents are members. Through this milestone celebration of the International Year of Co-operatives, we hope to raise public awareness of the spirit and value of co-operative social enterprises, as a regulated model of self-help and a viable layer in Singapore’s multi-layered social safety net,” said Ms Dolly Goh, SNCF Chief Executive Officer.

Organised by Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF), the highlights of the event were:

• 6,000 co-operators and their families from 42 co-operative social enterprises participated in a 3-km family fun walk, starting from Tanjong Rhu, through Gardens by the Bay (East), and arrived at Marina Barrage, to symbolise the solidarity of one co-operative movement. Representatives proceeded on stage to place flags and logos of their respective co-operatives, onto a launch gambit which President Tony Tan Keng Yam completed for the launch of Co-opaliciouz.

• 15,000 co-operative members, staff, families and the public dancing to 'Co-opaliciouz - Come together as one’, a song locally composed and choreographed for Singapore celebration of the United Nations declared the International Year of Co-operatives. The dance culminated in a 3-minute firework extravaganza that played in symphony with the Co-opaliciouz music theme.

• The launch of Singapore’s first-ever legal tender co-operative stamps and First Day Covers by President Tony Tan, alongside SNCF Chairman, Chan Tee Seng.

• Chorus Reading of ‘A Very Big Storm’, the first of four children storybooks on co-operative values written by internationally award winning author, Emily Lim.

For more information on Co-opaliciouz, go here.

Singapore create limited edition stamp series for IYC

Emily Barker — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:52:19 +0000

Singapore marked the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) 2012 with a series of day-long celebratory events on 9 June – starting with the launch of five Limited Edition stamps to mark 86 years of co-operatives in Singapore.

The first-of-its-kind stamp series was launched by President Tony Tan at the Marina Barrage where the IYC was celebrated by 15,000 members of the co-operative movement, their families and the public, at a large-scale event, ‘Co-opalicouz’.

Commissioned by the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) and issued by SingPost, the stamps are legal tender, with each tracing the legacy of the co-operative movement, focusing on milestones in Singapore from the founding of the co-op principles in Rochdale, 1844, to the birth of the Singapore National Co-operative Federation in 1980.

The stamp issue is the result of the combined efforts of the SNCF, National Archives of Singapore, Singapore Post and Singapore Tourism Board.

Mr Chan Tee Seng, SNCF Chairman, said that the launch of the limited edition stamp series and First Day Covers is a pivotal step towards raising awareness for Singapore’s co-operatives.

“We are delighted to have partnered SingPost to produce Singapore’s first-ever set of legal tender stamp series, as this gives sterling recognition to the significance of the co-operative movement’s impact on society. In Singapore, more than 1 in 3 Singaporeans are members of co-operatives. The IYC is an opportunity to bring people together, raise public awareness for our cause, and demonstrate that by coming together as one, we can do much more for ourselves and for Singapore.”

The general public who purchase the Limited Edition co-operative stamps from SingPost booth at the Marina Barrage will get to also see two exhibitions being staged there as part of the Co-opaliciouz event of IYC 2012: the first is the co-operative stamps exhibition and the second is theSNCF’s Hot Shots photo exhibition, showcasing the winning entries of photographers from across the world who best captured the essence and spirit of co-operation on film.

Held over one and a half months, the competition had garnered 583 online entries, 613 print entries and more than 8,500 votes. Entries came in from as far away as Poland.

SingPost spokesperson Peggy Teo, Assistant Vice President (Philatelic & Stamps) said that the issuance of the commemorative co-operative stamps is timely to recognise the 1.4 million members of co-operatives in Singapore and to commemorate Singapore’s celebration of IYC 2012.

“Co-operatives in Singapore contribute significantly at both the economic and social levels. We hope that this stamp series will further raise public awareness of co-operatives and that stamp collectors and the general public will be inspired by the principles of the co-operative movement and its national contributions to Singapore,” she said.

Singapore: Challenging changes for credit co-operatives

AnthonyMurray — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:04:27 +0000

Up until 2008, credit co-operatives were self-regulated. The turning point was when the financial crisis hit the world and Singapore was not spared.

The crisis highlighted the importance and complexities of the financial markets and governance issues. Subsequently, legislation was introduced to regulate credit co-operatives and amendments to the Co-operative Act were eventually passed in Parliament. The Registry of Co-operative Societies proposed a set of Prudential Conditions for compliance by credit co-operatives. The timeline given for compliance was rather short.

It was a trying and challenging period for credit co-operatives. Changes are always difficult, more so when historically none of the credit co-operatives have collapsed due to investment, low liquidity, bad debts and/or low capital adequacy ratio etc. Co-operatives did not see the need for these Prudential Conditions as they were generally conservative in approach mindful that they were custodians of the members’ monies.

Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF), the apex body of the Singapore co-operative movement, played an important and critical role in engaging the government and facilitating ground up feedback from co-operatives. SNCF did a Study on the Impact of these Prudential Conditions on the co-operatives’ businesses and how these conditions would affect their members whom they serve.

SNCF also engaged the assistance of the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) to share their international experiences with both the Registry and co-operatives. WOCCU, being the ‘neutral’ professional body helped in sharing the experiences of other countries with what worked and what did not. SNCF also engaged the global body to train through a hands-on workshop, the credit co-operatives on the merits of these financial ratios.

It was important for SNCF to build trust with the Registry and also with its credit co-operatives members. The tripartite relationship was critical in working out an amicable plan to reach the outcome of the Prudential Requirements i.e. to manage risk and to protect members’ capital and savings in order for the sustainability of the credit co-operatives.

SNCF continues to engage the Registry and the Ministry. To date, six Prudential Conditions have been announced and they introduced a risk-focused regulatory framework that gives co-ops greater operating flexibility while elevating their levels of governance and accountability. Through this exercise, we know that the Government listens to the feedback while the credit co-operatives demonstrate that they are managing their risk well as they improve on their capability and governance.

The International Year of Co-operatives 2012 is timely as it helps jumpstart SNCF efforts to create the awareness of co-operatives and its contributions to the Government, the schools, the young, the seniors and the community. It also helps to bring together all co-operatives as one movement, to bond and make a difference in society.

This article forms part of a series of Welcome to 2012, the International Year of Co-operatives, messages. Click here to read more messages.

Children's book series teaches values of co-operation

AnthonyMurray — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:31:47 +0000

Singapore's national co-operative association has launched a childrens' story book series to encourage the values of the co-operative movement for younger generations.

Singapore National Co-operative Federation launched the first book at its 30th anniversary and International Year of Co-operatives launch on December 4th.

Written by award-winning writer Emily Lim and supported by SEED Institute, the stories are based on the values of co-operation, mutual help, self-help and caring for the community.

The first book entitled ‘A Very Big Storm’ has now been released — and is available to download for free for the next two days. The other three parts will be launched throughout 2012.

Co-operatives around the world have also been given the opportunity to reprint the book for children in their country, or to even translate the series. For more information email: sncf@sncf.org.sg.

Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chairman of SNCF, revealed the organisation's plans to teach the values of co-operation to youngsters through a partnership with the National Library Board. He said: "I am happy to announce that NLB would carry our books at all its 23 libraries island-wide. In fact, these books are available for borrowing from today. Our books will be used to engage children and young parents in NLB’s reading initiatives for the whole of 2012. These efforts will count towards promoting literacy and bonding amongst parents and their children in NLB’s ‘10,000 and more fathers reading’ program.

"Together with NLB, and other players in the education sector, we will explore further areas of partnership to spread knowledge, literacy and co-operative values to nurture resilience and character amongst our young."

At an event in June next year, SNCF will be encouraging more than 10,000 co-operators to read to children in a single day. The Co-opaliciouz event on June 9th aims to bring more than 10,000 co-operators and their children together to learn about co-operative values through the mass reading of the story book. This activity is the culminating event to the fund-raising for the mobile library minibus.

At the launch event, Singapore's Education Minister praised the SNCF for reaching out to children, Heng Swee Keat told attendees: "I am pleased to know that the SNCF has worked closely with schools to raise awareness of the co-operative movement. Assembly talks in schools on co-operative awareness have reached out to over 7,000 students annually. Eleven of our schools have also opened their own co-operative societies, which are dedicated to building character and instilling integrity and resilience amongst its members.

"School co-operatives offer unique opportunities for youths to gain practical experience in running a sustainable social enterprise while serving the school community, in an environment where they can fall, learn, and get back on their feet. They learn to identify social gaps and find solutions to address them."

• Click here to download the book for iOS for free, or add to your Android phone.

Singapore launches International Year of Co-operatives

AnthonyMurray — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:13:29 +0000

Singapore's Minister for Education, Mr Heng Swee Keat, officially launched the country’s program for the International Year of Co-operatives (IYC) celebrations at the 30th Anniversary Dinner of the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF), the apex body of Singapore’s co-operatives.

Joining the launch at Resorts World Sentosa, were Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mdm Halimah Yacob, Advisor to the IYC National Committee and Member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) Global Board, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Chairman of the SNCF Executive Council and Singapore’s IYC National Committee, Mr Chan Tee Seng, Chairman of the Central Co-operative Fund Committee, Mr Chandra Das and more than 400 members and guests of the Singapore Co-operative Movement.

Led by SNCF, the IYC 2012 is poised to be the most significant milestone for the Singapore Co-operative Movement, as it brings together more than 12,000 members of various co-operatives who will be engaged in a year-long series of activities that will raise awareness and educate the public about the social value and impact of co-operatives. These programs include, ‘Co-opaliciouz’, a mass carnival at the Marina Barrage, which among its many goals, aims to set a record for the largest number of co-operators reading to children; and a regional conference for close to 1,000 regional leaders from the co-operative, charity and social enterprise sectors, who will converge in Singapore to discuss merits and social impact of the co-operative model of enterprise.

Dolly Goh, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) said: "IYC will be one of the biggest celebrations in recent history of the Singapore Co-operative Movement in terms of scale and number of people involved. It is a golden opportunity to get more people to appreciate the economic and social benefits of co-operatives. SNCF is proud to be leading Singapore co-operatives in these initiatives that aims to inspire more like-minded individuals to come together to embrace the co-operative enterprise model of self and mutual help."

The launch of Singapore’s IYC program signals the commencement of a series of initiatives that promotes co-operative principles such as ‘co-operation’, ‘self and mutual help’, and ‘caring for the community’ – principles which are essential for character building to foster more resilient communities.

Minister Heng said: “Co-ops play a special role in society, combining economic viability and social responsibility.” Hailing co-operative values as essential for character building among youths, children and parents, Minister Heng added: “In today’s fast-changing world, we need to foster a stronger and more resilient generation to deal with the complex challenges that will come their way. Character development is certainly vital to nurturing a more compassionate and resilient community; and I am glad that SNCF and its affiliates have been actively seeking out opportunities, partners and platforms to build character among our young.”

The first of several key initiatives for 2012 that was unveiled at Singapore’s IYC launch was a series of children’s story books to encourage character building, promote reading and instil positive values among children.

The series would be launched in 4 parts throughout the IYC year in 2012. Written by award winning writer Emily Lim, and supported by the SEED Institute and the National Library Board (NLB), the stories are based on co-operative values of co-operation, self and mutual help and caring for the community.

A photography competition will be launched in March to provide a platform for the general public, especially photography enthusiasts to put their shooting skills to good use. Participants will need to interpret co-operative values and represent them through photographs. Award-winning photos will be displayed during the flagship Co-opaliciouz event on 9 June.

Co-opaliciouz aims to bring more than 10,000 co-operators and their children together to learn about co-operative values through the mass reading of the organisation's storybook.

In July, the organisation will also be launching a series of postage stamps to commemorate Singapore in celebration of the International Year. A total of 11,000 commemorative stamps are expected to be exchanged throughout 2012 and the stamps will be put to use in selected celebration activities.

To celebrate the close of the International Year, one thousand co-operative leaders from the Asia Pacific region will join a conference in Singapore. The ‘How Social Capital drives Growth and Sustainability” conference will provides a platform to discuss the value and future direction of co-operatives. Author Rosabeth Kanter who wrote the acclaimed book ‘SuperCorp’ will be the keynote speaker. To mark the end of the conference, 100 co-operators from Singapore and region will go on a round-trip car rally to Malaysia.

In January 2013, a closing dinner will be hosted for 500 leaders and members of Singapore co-operatives. An awards presentation will also take place to honour those who have contributed to growing the co-operative movement in Singapore.