Ten things to look forward to at the International Summit of Cooperatives

With only a few days left until the 2016 International Summit of Cooperatives, we’ve picked ten things to look forward to during the four-day global gathering. The grand opening Monique Leroux, president of...

With only a few days left until the 2016 International Summit of Cooperatives, we’ve picked ten things to look forward to during the four-day global gathering.

  1. The grand opening

1 moniqueMonique Leroux, president of the International Co-operative Alliance and co-host of the International Summit of Co-operatives will officially welcome delegates to Quebec.

The opening cocktail event also features welcome addresses from Dominique Anglade, minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, the Government of Quebec; Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of Families, Children and Social Development, government of Canada; Guy Cormier, president and chief executive of Desjardins Group and co-host of the International Summit of Co-operatives; and Jean-Claude Seys, vice president of Covéa, France.

  1. Women’s growing leadership in the economy

2 ArshadThe plenary session will explore the contribution of co-ops to women’s empowerment, looking at concrete examples of enterprises redressing inequalities. Panellists include Fatima Marouan, minister of Handicrafts, Social Economy and Solidarity, Morocco; Judy Ziewacz, president and chief executive, National Cooperative Business Association/CLUSA International, United States; Fatimah Arshad, Malaysian National Co-operative Movement – ANGKASA, Malaysia; Anne-Marie Hubert, managing partner, Quebec, Ernst & Young, Canada; and Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, government of Canada.

  1. Conference lunch with Robert Reich

3 ReichA globally acclaimed political commentator and author Robert Reich will be speaking at the Summit during the Agropur Conference Lunch on 12 October. A former secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, Prof Reich teaches Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. In his speech at the event, he will talk about the need to restructure the global economic and political system. The conference lunch is available at a CAD $50 fee per person.

  1. Youth for #Coop: building a co-operative future

4 youthYoung co-operators, particularly those attending the Summit as part of the Young Leaders’ Programme can take part in a rendez-vous (meeting) facilitated by young co-operators, through collaborative and participative work methodologies. The workshop is aimed at facilitating experience sharing between networks of young co-operators.

 

  1. Plenary session: Co-operatives in Action – Contributing to Reach the New UN Sustainable Development Goals

5 SDGsOne of the key topics at the Summit is the contribution of co-operatives to reaching the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This plenary session will look at the role co-ops in different sectors play in promoting sustainable development. Panellists will highlight how co-operatives are making a different in areas such as food security, employment, health and social care, financial inclusion, climate change and sustainable development. Delegates will hear from representatives from various UN bodies, such as the International Labour Organisation, the Food and Agricultural Organization, and the World Health Organization as well as experts from the World Bank or PwC.

  1. Summit rendez-vous on Credit Risk management

6 credit riskThis rendez-vous will explore best practices to implement credit risk management in community finance institutions. The session will include presentations from risk management specialists. The meeting is open to all delegates but requires prior registration at [email protected].

      7. Keynote by Joseph Stiglitz: World economy – what does the future hold?

7 StiglitzEconomist and Nobel Prize Laureate, Joseph Stiglitz is one of the keynote speakers at the International Summit. As well as analysing the global economic and geopolitical situation, he will discuss the impact of the financial and economic crisis on inequality and the potential responses to the widening gap between rich and poor. The plenary session will also include contributions from Mark Kramer, founder and managing director of FSG and Senior Fellow at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; Barbara Ekwall from the Food and Agriculture Organization; and Azoumana Moutaye, minister of National Entrepreneurship, craft and Promotion of SMEs of Ivory Coast.

  1. Plenary session: Exploring the future of work in a digital world

8 digitalAs technology continues to change the relationship between employers and workers, co-ops have to respond to new challenges raised by the constantly evolving digital world. Speakers at this session include Yves Morieux, Senior Partner and Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group (BCG); Oskar Goitia, Vice President, Mondragon; Alain Fradin, chief executive, Crédit mutual; David Roberts, chair, Nationwide Building Society; and André Chatelain, senior vice president, Personal Services and Desjardins Group Marketing Executive Division.

  1. Frugal innovation: How to do more with less by Navi Radjou

9 Navi RadjouInnovation adviser Navi Radjou will be joining Summit delegates for a debate on the concept of frugal innovation. Author of two international bestsellers, Jugaad Innovation and From Smart to Wise, Mr Radjou is a fellow at Judge Business School, the University of Cambridge. In his presentation, he will give examples of businesses creating high quality products with limited resources.

  1. The launch of a new book on values in business by Ed Mayo

10 valuesCan business be values-led? Or are corporate values no more than a poster on the wall? Drawing on a range of case studies worldwide, particularly co-operatives, Ed Mayo of Co-operatives UK’s reveals how to bring values to life in business. By unpacking what we mean by values and ethics, and setting out a series of practical approaches, he presents how values can support commercial performance and identifies the pitfalls and the potential of bringing values into the heart of an organisation.

 

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