Summit Day 4 preview

As the 2014 edition of the International Summit of Cooperatives comes to end today, delegates will be discussing equality, sustainability, economic democracy and the role of co-operatives in emerging economies.

The day begins with a conference breakfast for those attending as part of the Young Leaders Program and three Summit rendezvous. Agropur Dairy Cooperative is also hosting a forum of co-operatives on the consolidation of the global dairy industry.

Later Michael Andrew of Filene Research Institute will present the results of research carried out by his organisation in collaboration with the International Co-operative Alliance, which looked at co-operatives’ capitalisation.

Richard Wilkinson, emeritus professor at the University of Nottingham Medical School and co-founder of the Equality Trust will also deliver a presentation on the effects of inequality on health.

The conference will continue with seven different forums taking place at the same time. These will address issues such as market instability, securing the food supply chain, co-ops and mutuals in emerging economies, health care and social services and the wellness of employees.

Following a brief network break, the Summit will proceed with eight other forums. One of these will look at the role of co-ops, agricultural organisations and family farming in food security. Co-operative identity is also on the Summit’s agenda, with a special forum on how to enhance the global co-operative image through marketing. Cliff Mills of Mutuo will also look at the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade in a separate forum designed to assess how the work presented throughout the Summit can shape future initiatives of the Blueprint.

Another forum will explore the impact of demographic growth and an ageing population, as well as the opportunities this brings to the co-operative sector. Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International will be chairing a forum on governance in associative life, looking at how involved members are in the democratic life of their co-op. The Digital Cooperative, a forum hosted by Olivier Frey and Co-operative News will examine how effective co-operatives and mutuals are at using digital tools to engage employees, members, decision makers and the wider public.

After lunch, the discussion will continue with a ministerial round table on co-operative creation and development around the world, with representatives from ministerial departments and the social economy from Morocco, Zimbabwe, Mexico, France and Canada.

The final round table of the Summit will seek to draw conclusions from what has been discussed throughout the event, by highlighting five key themes, lessons and actions for the future.

The Summit will end with two speeches from Dame Pauline Green, president of the international Co-operative Alliance and Monique Leroux, chair of the board, president and chief executive of Desjardins Group.

Today’s full programme is available here.

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