Co-operative News - International Year

Second International Summit of Cooperatives set to unite global leaders

Anca — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:52:57 +0000

A second International Summit of Cooperatives is set to take place next year and will unite co-operative business leaders from around the world.

Canadian financial co-operative Desjardins Group and the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) will be teaming up again for this major gathering of the global co-operative and mutual community in Quebec City, 6–9 October, 2014.

With this second conference, the organisers are planning to create a forum for decision-makers from the top co-operatives and mutuals, and to make sure they leave the Summit with new ideas and strategies that will help to improve the performance of their enterprise.

Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins, said: “We must continue to build on the success of this first International Summit of Cooperatives."

Monique Leroux talks about the International Sumit of Cooperatives.

“Our goal is to create a forum for decision-makers from the world's top co-operatives and mutuals to discuss complex issues," added Ms Leroux.

“We want co-operative and mutual leaders to leave the Summit with a wealth of new ideas that will help boost the performance of their organisations.”

Dame Pauline Green, President of the ICA, added: “The first International Summit of Cooperatives made an important contribution to the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade that was adopted at the close of the International Year of Cooperatives."

She continued: “We must build on the momentum, cohesion, confidence and enthusiasm generated by the Year. With the support of our partners, the second Summit will allow us to take stock of progress and drive the Blueprint agenda.”

The Summit organisers said the event met an essential business need for the 2,800 participants from 91 countries last year. Given the scope and level of participation of the first Summit and the awareness it generated, this event is anticipated, by organisers, to play an increasingly influential role at the global economic, political and regulatory levels.

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.

Co-ops need to create networks, said co-op leaders

Emily Barker — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:13:55 +0000

Co-operatives need to create networks with organisations around the world, said co-op leaders at the IYC Closing Ceremony in New York.

Four leaders, including ICA President, Dame Pauline Green, Rabobank Executive Director, Vincent Lokin, Desjardins CEO, Monique Leroux, and Acting Director of FAO, Marcella Villarreal, discussed how to move forward at a press conference on 20 November.

“Unlike many other development programmes, these co-operative associations survive once development aid wanes. That’s a critical nature of the sustainability of our business model;” said Dame Pauline Green.

Vincent Lokin added: “We are just one organisation in a large world, there are many other organisations aiming for the same goals and we need to co-operate with them.”

Rabobank works with new co-ops in the developing world, Mr Lokin said: “Its quite important to not make them addicted to our help, so we try to push back and we hope we can teach them how to be independent.”

Governments also play a part, explained Dame Green: “In Rwanda, since the genocide, the Co-op Movement started at 0 per cent and is now 8 per cent of the country’s GDP and growing very fast. There’s a great sense of excitement around it.”

It is the UN’s role to enable governments to become open and make the right decisions surrounding co-ops, said Marcella Villarreal.

She added: “I think we were successful in advancing the agenda of co-ops throughout the year, but I think this is just the first step and I think the best is yet to come.”

Monique Leroux explained: “We need to continue to be agile in our own orgs, be innovative to better serve member needs, to work with more co-op partnerships and be very active in bringing education and support for young co-op leaders.”

United Nations mark end of a historical year for the co-op movement

Anca — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:20:12 +0000

As the International Year of Co-operatives comes to an end, the global co-operative movement is getting ready to celebrate its success at the United Nations' closing ceremonies taking place in New York.

Themed “Promoting Co-operatives beyond 2012”, the closing event at the UN's headquarters will focus on assessing how the International Year can lead to a Co-operative Decade and how young people can be involved in co-ops.

On Monday, 19 November, a panel discussion will assess “Global Food Security and the Role of Cooperatives”. The discussion will be chaired by H.E. Ambassador Od OCH, permanent representative of Mongolia and panelists include Dame Pauline, President ICA; Jack Wilkinson, Director, Nipissing-Sudbury Cooperative; and Nora Ourabah Haddad, Gender, Equality and Rural Employment Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. At this panel discussion the FAO will also present a short film.

The day will continue with a Youth Forum focused on how co-operatives empower young people, which will ultimately present an international statement on youth and co-operatives. Following the introductory remarks of Nicola Shepherd from Focal Point on Youth, DESA; Monique Leroux, CEO of Desjardins, will hold a keynote speech.

The Forum continues with two interactive dialogues. The first one, themed “Cooperatives and Youth: Empowerment, Employment and Engagement” will feature as panellists Simel Esim, Chief of International Labour Organization's Coooperative Branch; José Antonio Chávez Villanueva, Chair of ICA Youth Network Executive Committee and Afua Boamah, Youth Delegate, Ghanian National IYC Committee.

The second Interactive dialogue will focus on drafting the International Cooperative Youth Statement and will be chaired by Mr Villanueva and moderated by Stéphanie Guico, Desjardins Youth Delegate.

The International Cooperative Youth Statement will be finalised at the Youth Forum Working Group’s dinner meeting.

The Official Closing Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 20 November and will be chaired by Daniela Bas, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development.

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, will also make a statement for the Official Closing Ceremony, with a statement also being read out on behalf of José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General.

Dame Pauline Green will also take part in the discussion on “Moving Cooperatives Forward” that will assess policy dialogue and research pathways. Various reports from National Committee will also be presented at this panel discussion.

The ceremony will continue with the release of the Youth Statement and a statement from COPAC — the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives, of which the International Co-operative Alliance are members alongside the FAO, ILO and the UN .

The event ends with the IYC Short Film Festival and Awarding Ceremony.

• See the full agenda below.

Members Matter Most - International Credit Union Day

Emily Barker — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:49:24 +0000

International Credit Union Day 2012, on 18 October, is truly a time to celebrate – as credit unions (CUs) have increased their annual new-member base at the fastest rate in over a decade.

Figures from Credit Union National Association (CUNA) explained how nearly 2.2 million people joined credit unions in the US. In the UK, according to the All Parliamentary Party Group on CUs, there are over one million people using CUs, with 12,000 junior savers.

With so many people joining CUs, it seems only fitting that the theme this year is ‘Members Matter Most’.

"Members are the heart of the credit union system. This year's theme speaks perfectly to the sentiment all staff carry through on every day," said Bill Cheney, CUNA president and CEO. "Further, it differentiates credit unions from other financial institutions as member-owned financial cooperatives. At credit unions, members matter most."

CUs have received a boost this year due to 2012 being named the International Year of Co-operatives and also the publicity surrounding Bank Transfer Day in the US, a movement encouraging people to move their money to credit unions or community banks on 5 November.

CUNA are also aksing CUs to share their own celebrations by logging on here.

Jennifer Bernhardt, Communications Manager at the World Council of Credit Unions said: “Credit unions have been given an international stage to showcase what they have always done: meet the needs of their members first and foremost.”

Kristen Christian, the founder of Bank Transfer Day, explained: “The democratic structure and people serving people mission that financial co-operatives put into practice every day fosters economic sustainability and strong local communities. One day simply isn't enough to thank these fine folks for all of their hard work!”

She added that for ICU Day: “I'll be paying a visit to Coast Hills Federal Credit Union to thank them for their continued efforts year round to serve the community that made me the woman I am today.”

CUs across the world will be celebrating the day and expressing what makes this business unique.

“CU Day is a great opportunity each year for credit unions to raise their members’ awareness about the values and philosophy that distinguish credit unions from other financial institutions,” said Mark Wolff, from CUNA. “We are not only in our communities, we are of our communities. And member service, not profit-making, is paramount.”

Young & Free, a project encouraging young people to use CUs in the US and Canada have released a special video for the occasion.

In the UK, CU leaders and members of the APPG on CUs attended a special celebration in Westminster on Wednesday for the ICU Day.

Damian Hinds MP, Chair of APPG on CUs said in his speech: “Credit unions are a movement, and are certainly on the move. Too many of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in society find themselves in a seemingly never-ending trap of debt, from which it is difficult to break out.

"Credit Unions can play a truly vital role – and in future a much bigger one – in offering an alternative, bringing responsible lending, encouraging saving and basically supporting families. This is a very exciting time for credit unions and a real inflexion point. No truly exciting ride is every a totally smooth one.

"The growth potential is enormous, and this World Credit Unions Day gives us a timely reminder of the full scale of that potential.”

CUNA have created a special website so people can find the CU that suits them: http://www.asmarterchoice.org/

Across the world there are 51,000 Credit Unions with 196,000,000 Members over 100 Countries.

ICU Day happens on 3 October of every year – it began in 1948.

If you want to know more about International Credit Union Day then go to: http://www.woccu.org/events/icuday/

What is the best part about being a member of a credit union?

Tell us on our Facebook page or in the comments below.

Credit Unions prepare to celebrate 'International Credit Union Day'

Emily Barker — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:05:09 +0000

Credit Unions across the world will be celebrating International Credit Union Day tomorrow (18 October).

Every year, on the third Thursday of October since 1948, credit unions have celebrated their unique way of banking and this year they are celebrating their members, with the theme: ‘Members Matter Most.’

"In the face of all challenges, credit unions have always existed to serve their members," said Brian Branch, World Council of Credit Unions president and CEO. "The clear and simple message, ‘Members Matter Most,' summarises credit unions' reason for being."

This International Credit Union Day is particularly important as it is taking place during the United Nations' International Year of Cooperatives.

The Credit Union National Association has even provided Official 2012 ICU products from Skittles to a piggy bank.

The day will be marked in 100 countries where 155,000 credit unions serve 196 million people.

Over in the UK a conference is being held at London Westminster today with speeches from Damian Hind MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group on Credit Unions and Simon Hughes MP, Vice Chair APPG on Credit Unions.

Brian Branch continued: "We believe every day is credit union day, because at any time of the day or night, a credit union somewhere in the world is helping its members.

"We can take pride in how far credit unions have reached in serving members. But we cannot ignore the fact that we must continue extending that reach to provide more services to more consumers, including those who need our services most.

"In the end, it is the people, not profits that drive our actions. Members matter most, that is the philosophy that we live and breathe, each and every day of the year."

This year's theme was submitted by Sinéad Butler from the marketing services department of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU). ‘Members Matter Most’ was one of more than a dozen themes submitted by representatives from Abacus Australian Mutuals, Credit Union Central of Canada, Credit Union National Association (USA) and World Council.

Are you a member of a Credit Union?

Tell us what you will be doing to celebrate International Credit Union Day by tweeting us @coopnews or writing in the comments below.

Imagine 2012 and the Opening of the International Summit: Monday Preview

Emily Barker — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:52:15 +0000

Imagine 2012 is the international conference on co-operative economics – it finishes on Monday and will be followed by the opening ceremony of the International Summit of Cooperatives in the evening.

Highlights of Monday’s Imagine conference include talks on the role of co-ops in the new economy, and the directions that co-ops need to take.

The day will kick off for the early risers with a speech on ‘How is worker ownership related to the health of communities?’ by David Erdal, the author of ‘Beyond the Corporation: Humanity Working’ at 8.30am.

Following this Vera Negri Zamagni, Professor in International economics at University of Bologna and co-author of ‘Co-operative Enterprise: facing the challenge of globalisation’ will discuss ‘Is bigger better? New opportunities for co-operatives’ at 9.15am.

This will have commentary by Samira Rajan, CEO Brooklyn Co-operative Credit Union, USA.

Claudia Sanchez-Bajo and Bruno Roelants, authors of ‘Capital and the Debt Trap: learning from co-operatives in the global crisis’ will be asking ‘Is the Debt Trap avoidable?’ at 11.15am.

In a speech at the Mainstreaming Co-operation conference at Manchester, UK, July Claudia Sanchez explained that co-operatives are less likely to fail in a crisis, because they have increased ownership and are able to plan and distribute their wealth over the long term.

At 2pm there will be a tribute to the Ideas and Work of Dr. Elinor Ostrom, who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prixe in Economics for her analysis of economic governance. She is the only woman to have won the prize in this category.

This will be run by Dr. Barbara Alle and be followed by a film about Dr. Elinor Ostrom.

The final speech of the conference ‘Co-operative economics? Key directions from the new economics and implications for co-operatives’ by Professor of economics at Saint Mary’s University, Sonja Novkovic, will bring the conference to a close.

The opening ceremony of the International Summit of Cooperatives starts at 5.30pm.

The opening addresses be performed by: Monique F. Leroux, President and CEO, Desjardins Group, Dame Pauline Green, President, International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), Dr. J. Colin Dodds, President and Vice Chancellor, Saint Mary’s University and Pauline Marois, Prime Minister of Québec, Canada.

The opening speech on ‘the Amazing Power of Co-operatives’ will be done by Riccardo Petrella, Economist, politic scientist and alter-globalist at 6.30pm.

Co-operatives high on the agenda of the Cyprus Presidency

Anca — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:03:20 +0000

On September 28-29, 2012 the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU hosted a high-level cooperative conference in Nicosia as part of the EU’s contributions to the UN International Year of Co-operatives. Around 200 participants attended the event, which was organised by Co-operatives Europe and the Cypriot Authority for the Supervision and Development of Co-operative Societies.

The conference provided critical insights about the diversity and the economic weight of the European co-operative economy in particular to representatives from 17 member states’ government representatives.

Constantinos L. Lyras, Commissioner of the Cyprus Authority for the supervision and development of cooperative societies, said: “The long term view of co-operative enterprises has protected them against hazardous, speculative short-term focused investments. “

Neoklis Sylikiotis, Cyprus Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, said: “Co-operatives ensure sustainability and are continuously developing and innovating“

Costas Andropoulos, official from the EU Commission’s Enterprise & Industry Unit, added: “Co-operatives are developing economic activities not only in the classic sectors of agriculture or banking, but also in various innovative domains, such as health or renewable energy. Those efforts must be preserved, promoted and supported.”

EU policies tend to focus on harmonising rules and regulations for enterprises in general in the EU. The discussions, however, stressed the need for a differentiated policy making approach for different forms of enterprises. The presentations and discussions highlighted the distinct co-operative form of business, which leads to different economic and social outcomes than their shareholding peers. Regulations taking those differences into account instead of pursuing a ‘one size fits all’ approach will clearly lead to better outcomes for policy-makers, co-operatives and the society at large.

The Commission’s current consultation about the potential revision of the European Co-operative Statute was discussed with member states on the second day of the conference. While there was no overall consensus about the right way forward with this regulation, given the small number of co-operatives having adopted it so far, most participants stressed the need for simplification and clarification of its key objectives.

Klaus Niederländer, Director of Co-operatives Europe and moderator of the different co-operative sessions, summed up the lively discussions by stating: ”In these times of economic uncertainty and social pressure in Europe, policy makers and co-operatives need to work more closely together to provide new solutions. Action is a must and simply waiting is not an option. New ways of collaboration will have to be tested.”

Co-operation is key to fighting corruption

Anca — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:38:35 +0000

The International Summit of Cooperatives in Quebec will be a good opportunity to promote transparency through co-operation, believes Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International (TI).

Transparacy International's mission is to have a world in which government, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption.

Mrs Labelle, who will attend the opening session of the International Summit, thinks co-ops can play a major role in both preventing and tackling corruption. She explained that with their local approach, co-ops improve the lives of the local people, fighting poverty, a key corruption enabler.

“The International Year of Co-operatives is another flag being raised and also brings the world’s attention to the issue,” said Huguette Labelle. “Co-ops have been able to move in and also work with communities and get communities involved, and they have played a very important role in helping people in developing and even emerging countries to have access to credit, to start a small business and even buy a home”.

She explained that in spite of their ethical dimension, co-ops are not immune to the danger of corruption. According to Mrs Labelle, it is important for co-ops to have systems in place so that “if something goes wrong they can detect it and deal with it without hesitation”. She said it is equally important for the employees to know that corruption is punishable, and should they accept the bribe, they will have to deal with the judicial system.

In co-operation with the World Economic Forum (WEF), TI has recently released a set of videos to help companies train their staff to see corruption coming. The organisation is also currently trying to get oil and gas companies to publish everything they pay to governments and for governments to publish everything they receive.

Huguette Labelle said there has to be a certain balance between the need for regulation and an over-supply of regulation. Without regulation it is impossible to enforce measures and prevent corruption from emerging, too much regulation can also lead to corruption “creating a space for opacity to set in" enabling the bribing of "those who are responsible for ensuring that regulations are respected".

With the General Assembly’s adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption in 2000, corruption has become an important issue on the global agenda and, according to Mrs Labelle, there are reasons to be optimistic.

Calling the Convention "a big watershed," she said: "what we now have for the first time is a complex global world tool for those 150 countries that have ratified the Convention now to establish the laws which they may not have had and to enforce them.

“Corruption is global. Thus co-operation between countries is extremely important and so is the opening of the financial sector so that they do not hide illicit money under secrecy. We have a good opportunity now that the G20 seems to be taking this seriously.”

Although there have been a lot of positive changes, globalisation has made it much easier to move money around, which is why vigilance and enforcement are needed.

Another big step forward, is in Mrs Labelle’s view, the commitment of the G20 countries to mutual administrative assistance in tax matters, including a multilateral approach for the exchange of information, which enables co-operation on investigations between countries. The Chair of TI believes improvements are still needed, particularly in terms of enforcement of laws. She also said it is necessary to convince people that they do not have to live with corruption and that impunity is not acceptable.

”We need a strong justice system. In most countries the supreme court is independent, fair, impartial, professional, but as you get closer to the local courts very often justice is not administered in a way that serves the people,” said Huguette Labelle.

Transparency International consists of more than 100 chapters – locally established, independent organisations – that fight corruption in their respective countries. The anti-corruption global movement aims to create a world free of corruption. Transparency International is non-partisan and has worked with various organisations and governmental bodies, among which UN Global Compact, the International Chamber of Commerce, the World Economic Forum and with the private sector.

Every year TI published the Corruption Perceptions Index, and this year’s Index is due to be released in December. Huguette Labelle revealed that the organisation has upgraded its methodology, with the aim of making the Index more comprehensive.

Huguette Labelle holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Education. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada. She is currently Chancellor of the University of Ottawa and Chair of the Board of Transparency International. She was also President of the Canadian International Development Agency from 1993 to 1999. She provides advisory services to national and international organizations.

Energy co-ops must remain agile and innovative

Anca — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:53:40 +0000

Renewable energy is one of the key topics to be addressed at the International Summit of Cooperatives in Quebec. Leaders from across various co-operative sectors will discuss how renewable energy co-operatives can remain agile and innovative.

Judith Lipp, Executive Director of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative is one of the keynote speakers at the Summit. Prior to the summit, she shared her view on the role of co-ops in renewable energy.

Founded in 1998, the TREC renewable Energy Co-operative is a non-profit organisation based in Ontario, Canada, focusing on renewable energy and energy conservation. With its new approach, the co-op has become a recognised leader in the sector in Ontario.

Ms Lipp said this Summit is of great importance because it brings together leaders from all over the world, enabling them to exchange ideas and experiences.

“These events are about networking, hearing from other people and dealing with some challenges which are common across the co-op sector,” she said. Ms Lipp further explained how the renewable energy sector is unique, especially because it is difficult to maintain a direct relation with members. She thinks the Summit will enable leaders to share some of the best practices around to keep people engaged.

The main challenge for a renewable energy co-op, according to Ms Lipp, is competing in a sector dominated by multinational corporations. This makes it more difficult for co-ops to appeal to people, who have lost trust and are sceptical about the corporate run renewable energy projects.

Judith Lipp thinks co-ops can propose a new approach by engaging people in these projects.

“We need to start enabling communities participate directly in projects that are in their backyards. You cannot move a wind turbine; the resources are local and should be there for the benefit of the local communities. Co-ops are a good mechanism to do that, there are certainly other models, but this model has been tried and tested. It is an important development,” she said.

Another main challenge for co-ops is financing. Ms Lipp said it is difficult is to have everything planned and obtain the approvals whilst also raising the funding necessary to develop the project.

“It is very difficult to go out and ask people if you do not have all approvals. We have the sort of timing issues as well as the issue of how do we pay for all costs? How do we bridge that? As new entities most do not have a long transaction history with financial institutions,” she explained.

In spite of these challenges, TREC has so far proven to be very successful. “People do actually want are interested and committed to renewable energy,” said Ms Lipp.

TREC is also involved in raising awareness on renewable energy and runs various educational programmes for school children under 'TREC Education'. TREC also organises a Kids Festival every year and has had a design competition. All these projects are aimed at getting the youth involved.

“We are trying to appeal to different students and give them the chance the explore various issues. They are the next generation of decision makers, and will be investing in the co-ops”.