Dunsany declaration issued for World Food Day

In the light of World Food Day, the Dunsany Group has issued a declaration highlighting the positive impact of co-ops have on rural development and their key role in feeding a growing population.

The declaration aims to provide an incentive for a decade of co-operative growth in rural communities and feeds into the ICA’s Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, which is being discussed at the General Assembly at Co-operatives United in Manchester on October 31.

The Dunsany Declaration, a framework for the development of rural co-operatives internationally, was developed by a range of range of participants from individual co-operatives, United Nations agencies, international co-operative agencies, national co-operative support organisations and co-operative sector representatives, who together formed the ‘Dunsany Group’.

The Dunsany Group refers to the following people who attended the World of Rural Co-operation Roundtable Event and signed the Dunsany Declaration in their personal capacity. The group comprised of the following:

Peter Couchman, Plunkett Foundation

Pauline Green, International Co-operative Alliance

David Button, Co-operatives UK

Eve Crowley, Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations

Fayyad Fayyad, Olive Oil Co-operative Union, Palestine

Michael Ward, Centre for Co-operative Studies, UCC

James Graham, Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society

Colette Lebel, La Co-op fédérée, Quebec

Martin Lowery, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, USA

David Cameron, Community Land Scotland

Seamus O’Donohue, Irish Co-operative Organisation Society

Simel Esim, International Labour Office

James J Kennelly, Skidmore College, USA

Hans van Es, Dutch Produce Association / COGECA

Ms. Min Su Kim, NACF/ ICAO

Mike Perry, Plunkett Foundation

Harriet English, Plunkett Foundation

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Pictured – Dame Pauline Green, ICA President, signing the Dunsany Declaration