New ICA book launched

The International Co-operative Alliance has released a new book to commemorate the UN's International Year of Co-operatives, telling the stories of 100 inspirational co-operatives from across the world.

The book ‘Building a better world: 100 stories of co-operation’ was launched at the Quebec International Summit of Co-operatives, on Tuesday night, which took place in Canada from 8 – 11 October.

In a statement on their website, the ICA said: “This high quality, visually stunning production highlights the achievements of both the international co-operative sector and those individuals behind our powerful movement. It tells moving personal stories and examines how co-operatives of scale ensure their ongoing success.”

The book will act as a communication tool, to help raise awareness of the co-operative enterprise model. It is aimed to be used in schools, universities, libraries and across local communities as an educational tool.

The stories in the book range from tales of co-operative resilience in the face of crisis such as the work done by co-ops to rebuild after the devastating Japanese tsunami to highly successful co-operative businesses such as Mondragón in Spain.

Kate Askew, the author of the book, said: “The word that best describes the work co-operatives do is ‘powerful’. The power of co-operatives to transform businesses, industries and, particularly, individuals, can be jaw-dropping. This is as true of small co-operatives in developing countries as it is of major businesses in some of the world’s most significant economies.”

The foreword was written by Director General of the Food and Agriculture Department of the United Nations, José Graziano da Silva. He explained: “Co-operatives represent a resourceful and diverse enterprise model that has great resilience to financial, economic and environmental shocks.”

The current commemorative edition will be a limited print run and demand is expected to be high. The full price is £33.00, and bulk orders will receive a 20 per cent discount for orders of ten copies or more. 

The book can be ordered via the ICA online shop www.icashop.coop with free shipping options available. 

To collect the book from Co-operatives United in Manchester quote "MANCHESTER" in the order and it can be collected in person from the ICA stand at the event.