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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Introduction to ICA

Introduction to ICA

Description: ICA: uniting, representing and serving co-ops

...uniting, serving and representing co-operatives worldwide...

What is the ICA?

Founded in 1895, the International Co-operative Alliance is an independent, non-governmental organisation which unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide. It is the largest non-governmental organisations in the world.

ICA members are national and international co-operative organisations in all sectors of activity including agriculture, banking, fisheries, health, housing, industry, insurance, tourism and consumer co-operatives. Currently, ICA has 269 member organisations from 97 countries, representing approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide.

What does ICA do?

ICA's priorities and activities centre on promoting and defending the Co-operative Identity, ensuring that co-operative enterprise is a recognised form of enterprise that is able to compete in the marketplace.

· ICA raises awareness about co-operatives. It helps individuals, government authorities and regional and international institutions understand the co-operative model of enterprise. ICA is the voice of the co-operative movement.

· ICA ensures that the right policy environment exists to enable co-operatives to grow and prosper. It helps its members in their lobbying for new legislation and more appropriate administrative procedures that respect the co-operative model, its principles and values. It provides political support as well as technical expertise to enable co-operatives to compete on a level playing field.

· ICA provides its members with key information, best practice and contacts. Through its publications it ensures the sharing of information. It organises meetings and workshops to address key issues affecting co-operatives and allows discussion among co-operators from around the world. ICA facilitates contacts between co-operatives for trading purposes and intelligence sharing in a wide range of areas.

· ICA provides technical assistance to co-operatives through its development programme. ICA promotes capacity-building and financial support, it facilitates job creation and supports poverty reduction and microfinance programmes around the world.

More information on ICA's structure, ICA's activities, ICA's membership, ICA's publications. Also please contact the ICA for any further information.

ICA Global Strategy 2009-2012

The ICA Strategic Plan represents a global vision of the 'one ICA', including planning for the central and regional offices as well as the sectoral organisations for the period 2009-2012. It includes commonly agreed strategic objectives, key result areas, outcomes and indicators, as well as the strategic initiatives as defined by reach component of the ICA.

ICA Board Code of Governance

Governance refers to how powers are distributed and exercised by different groups. It is concerned with the practices and procedures used by an organisation to ensure that it can meet its objectives. The ICA considers that this Code of Governance is an essential feature in a modern and transparent co-operative organisation.

ICA Logo and Flag

The ICA logo depicts doves of peace emerging from a rainbow - the symbol of the Co-operative Movement - and represents the unity of ICA's diverse membership. It was initially designed for ICA' Centennial Congress in 1995.

The colours of the rainbow stand for the following for co-operatives:

Red stands for courage.
Orange offers the vision of possibilities.
Yellow represents the challenge that GREEN has kindled.
Green represents growth, a challenge to co-operators to strive for growth of membership and of understanding of the aims and values of co-operation.
Sky blue suggests far horizons, the need to provide education and help to unfortunate people and to strive towards global unity.
Dark blue suggests pessimism, reminding us of less fortunate people in the world who are in need of the benefits from co-operation.
Violet is the colour of warmth, beauty and friendship.

The ICA has been flying a flag carrying the ICA logo since April 2001, when the Board decided to replace the traditional rainbow flag. This The flag was changed to clearly promote and strengthen the co-operative image. The rainbow flag was used by a number of non-cooperative groups and this led to confusion in several countries around the world.

Statistical Information on the Co-operative Movement

Statistical Information on the Co-operative Movement

The Co-operative Movement brings togethe over 800 million people around the world. The United Nations estimated in 1994 that the livelihood of nearly 3 billion people, or half of the world's population, was made secure by co-operative enterprise. These enterprises continue to play significant economic and social roles in their communities. Below are some facts about the Movement that demonstrate their relevance and contribution to economic and social development.

Large segments of the population are members of co-operatives

· In Argentina, there are over 17,941 co-operative societies with 9.1 million members.

· In Belgium, there were 29,933 co-operative societies in 2001.

· In Canada, 1 in 3 individuals is a member of a co-operative (33%). The Desjardins co-operative movement in Québec has over 5 million members.

· In Colombia over 3.3 million people are members of co-operatives or 8.01% of the population (Source: CONFECOOP. Sector Cooperativo Colombiano 2005)

· Costa Rica count over 10% of its populations as members of co-operatives.

· Finland S-Group has a membership of 1,468,572 individuals which represents 62% of Finnish households. (Source: SOK Corporation Annual Report 2004)

· In germany, there are 20 million people who are members of co-operatives, 1 out of 4 people.

· In Japan, 1 out of every 3 families are members of a co-operatives.

· Kenya 1 in 5 is a member of a co-operative or 5.9 million and and 20 million Kenyans directly or indirectly derive their livelihood from the Co-operative Movement.

· In India, over 239 million people are members of a co-operative.

· In Malaysia, 5.5 million people or 20% of the total population are members of co-operatives (2005).

· In Singapore, 50% of the population (1.6 million people) are members of a co-operative.

· In the United States, 4 in 10 individuals is a member of a co-operative (25%).

Co-operative are significant economic actors in national economies

· In Belgium, co-operative pharmacies have a market share of 19.5%.

· In Benin, FECECAM, a savings and credit co-operative federation provided USD 16 million in rural loans in 2002.

· In Brazil, co-operatives are responsible for 72% of the wheat production, 44% of barely, 43% of soya, 39% of milk, 38% of cotton, 21% of coffee and 16% of maize. Agricultural co-operatives exported over USD 1.3 billion.

· In Bolivia, Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito "Jesús Nazareno" Ltda. (CJN) handled 25% of the savings in Bolivia in 2002.

· Canadian maple sugar co-operatives produce 35% of the world's maple sugar production.

· In Côte d'Ivoire co-operatives invested USD 26 million for setting up schools, building rural roads and establishing maternal clinics.

· In Colombia, 6,462 co-operatives were responsible for 5.25% of the GDP in 2005. Saludcoop, a health co-operative, provides health care services for 15.5% of the population. Coffee co-operatives market 33.78% of Colombian coffee. Financial co-operatives hold 5.8% of the financial service market. (Source: CONFECOOP Sector Cooperativo Colombiano 2005)is responsible for providing health care services for 25% of the population.

· In Cyprus, the co-operative movement held 30% of the market in banking services, and handled 35% of all marketing of agricultural produce.

· In Denmark, consumer co-operatives in 2004 held 37% of the market. (Source: Coop Norden AB annual report 2004)

· Finnish co-operative groups within Pellervo were responsible for 74% of the meat products, 96% of dairy products; 50% of the egg production, 34% of forestry products and handled 34.2% of the total deposits in Finnish banks.

· Hungary consumer co-operatives members of Co-op Hungary are responsible for 14.4% of the national food and general retail sales in 2004. (Source: Co-op Hungary, Statistical Data 2004)

· In Japan, the agricultural co-operatives report outputs of USD 90 billion with 91% of all Japanese farmers in membership.

· In Kenya, co-operatives are responsible for 45% of the GDP and 31% of national savings and deposits. They have 70% of the coffee market, 76% dairy, 90% pyrethrum, and 95% of cotton.

· In Korea, agricultural co-operatives have a membership of over 2 million farmers (90% of all farmers), and an output of USD 11 billion. The Korean fishery co-operatives also report a market share of 71%.

· In Kuwait, the Kuwaiti Union of Consumer Co-operative Societies handled 80% of the national retail trade.

· In Latvia, the Latvian Central Co-operative Union is responsible for 12.3% of the market in the food industry sector.

· In Moldova, the Central Union of Consumer Co-operatives were responsible for 6.8% of the consumer market.

· In Norway, dairy co-operatives are responsible for 99% of the milk production; consumer co-operatives held 25% of the market; fisheries co-operatives were responsible for 8.7% of total Norwegian exports; forestry co-operatives were responsible for 76% of timber and that 1.5 million people of the 4.5 million Norwegians are member of co-operatives.

· In Poland, dairy co-operatives are responsible for 75% of dairy production.

· In Singapore, consumer co-operatives hold 55% of the market in supermarket purchases and have a turnover of USD 700 million.

· In Slovenia, agricultural co-operatives are responsible for 72% of the milk production, 79% of cattle; 45% of wheat and 77% of potato production.

· In Sweden, consumer co-operatives held 17.5% of the market in 2004. (Source: Coop Norden AB annual report 2004)

· In the UK, the largest independent travel agency is a co-operative.

· In Urgugay, co-operative produce 90% of the total milk production, 34% of honey and 30% of wheat. 60% of co-operative production is exported to over 40 countries around the world.

· In Vietnam, co-operatives contribute 8.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

· In the United States more than 30 co-operatives have annual revenue in excess of USD 1 billion. In 2003 the top 100 US co-operatives had combined revenues of USD 117 billion. In addition, approximately 30% of farmers' products in the US are marketed through 3,400 farmer-owned co-operatives.

Co-operatives create and maintain employment

· Co-operatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20% more than multinational enterprises.

· In Canada, co-operatives and credit unions employ over 160,000 people. The Desjardins movement (savings and credit co-operatives) is the largest employer in the province of Québec.

· In Colombia,the co-operative movement provides 109,000 jobs and an additional 379,000 as owner-workers in workers co-operatives. They provide 23% of jobs in the health sector, 18% of the jobs in the transport sector, 13% in the worker/industrial sector, 11% in the financial sector and 9% in the agricultural sector. (Source: CONFECOOP, Sector Cooperativo Colombiano 2005)

· In Slovakia, the Co-operative Union represents more 700 co-operatives who employ nearly 75,000 individuals.

· In France, 21,000 co-operatives provide jobs to 700,000 people.

· In Germany, 8,106 co-operatives provide jobs for 440,000 people.

· In Kenya, 250,000 people are employed by co-operatives.

· In Slovakia, the Co-operative Union represents more than 700 co-operatives who employ nearly 75,000 individuals.

The information provided here has been collected from a variety of sources including ICA's statistical questionnaire, information published by co-operative organisations, presentations made by co-operatives, and government statistical offices.

Ban stresses ‘people power’ and partnerships at start of second term as UN chief

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has begun his second term as Secretary-General of the United Nations by pledging to harness “the strong power of partnerships” to respond to the planet’s biggest challenges, such as tackling climate change, combating poverty and empowering women and girls.

In an interview today with the UN News Centre and UN Radio to mark the start of his second term, Mr. Ban, 67, stressed the need for unity, particularly among Member States and their citizens.

“Together, nothing is impossible,” he said, adding that “if we strengthen these partnerships among governments, business communities, civil organizations and philanthropists, then I think all these powerful partnerships can bring us towards the right direction.”

Mr. Ban reiterated his priorities for the second term, spelling out the five “generational opportunities” he sees for the UN: promoting sustainable development; preventing natural and man-made crises and disasters; making the world safer and more secure; helping countries and peoples in transition; and encouraging gender empowerment.

“We have to connect the dots among climate change, [the] food crisis, water scarcity, energy shortages and women’s empowerment and global health issues. These are all interconnected issues.”

Mr. Ban, whose second five-year term as Secretary-General began on Sunday, said “people power” and deepening globalization represented the biggest development since he first took office in 2007.

“We have seen so many people – marginalized people, oppressed people – who have been yearning for democracy, their dignity and human rights. We have [a] heavy responsibility to help them in [their] transition to democracy.

Definition of Cooperatives

So what exactly are cooperatives? What differentiates them from other forms of business? What are the advantages of cooperatives for members and communities in general?

Cooperatives are business enterprises owned and controlled by the very members that they serve. Their member-driven nature is one of the most clearly differentiating factors of cooperative enterprises. This fact means that decisions made in cooperatives are balanced by the pursuit of profit, and the needs and interests of members and their communities.

Cooperatives take many forms and operate in all sectors of society. Most share a unique set of principles which keep them attuned with their member-driven characterization. Click on the links to the right, our check out our Resources page for more information on what cooperatives are and what they do.

You can also share your knowledge and experience as a cooperator by getting involved inour "Cooperatives Are…" social media campaign, designed to spread the word on the nature and impact of cooperative enterprises

General Assembly President urges more cooperation on major global issues

The General Assembly President today used his end-of-year message to urge greater consensus among United Nations Member States on issues ranging from UN reform and revitalization to sustainable development and global prosperity.

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser commended the international community’s collective responses to the various global challenges faced throughout 2011, including the ongoing global financial crisis, the wave of popular protests that engulfed the Arab world and the impact of natural and man-made disasters on populations around the globe.

“These developments in 2011 reinforce the relevance of the four key pillars we have identified to help us focus and channel our attention appropriately during the three remaining quarters of the Sixty-Sixth Session of the General Assembly,” Mr. Al-Nasser said in his message.

The four key pillars are: the peaceful settlement of disputes; UN reform and revitalization; improving disaster prevention and response; and promoting sustainable development and global prosperity.

“I urge all Member States to demonstrate the necessary will to generate utmost convergence and compromise that can lead to consensus in support of our common interests,” he added, noting that a full assessment of past challenges would better motivate the General Assembly’s deliberations and decisions in the New Year.

In his statement, Mr. Al-Nasser emphasized that UN reform and revitalization were needed “now more than ever before” to reflect the ever-changing realities of the 21st century. At the same time, he called on States “to intensify efforts in the area of improving disaster preparedness and response” after the lessons learned from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, floods in Thailand and the Philippines, and the famine in the Horn of Africa.

Pointing to the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June next year, he also stressed the need to implement measures to deal effectively with sustainable development issues.

Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives Programme

31 October 2011, General Assembly Hall

As outlined in General Assembly resolution 65/184, the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) is to be

launched during a plenary meeting of the 66th session of the General Assembly. The assigned date for

said meeting, as requested and confirmed by the main sponsor of the resolution, Mongolia, is 31 October

2011.

Resolution 65/184 also stipulates that the IYC launch will involve 1) anA informal interactive roundtable

discussion which includes Member States, observers, organizations of the United Nations system,

cooperatives, and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social

Council, and 2) a plenary session. The outcome of the roundtable is to be presented to the plenary, by a

representative of cooperatives.

Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) Monday, 31 October 2011 IYC Launch: Informal Round-table Discussions Conference Room 4, NLB 10:00-10.30am

Opening remarks

• Film screening “Cooperative enterprises build a better world”, produced by the ILO for the IYC

• Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs

• Ms. Jane Stewart, Director, ILO Representative to the United Nations, to deliver statement by Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General, International Labour Organization

• Ms. Daniela Bas, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA

10.30-1:00pm Informal round-table discussion: “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World: Contributions to Sustainable Development”

The round-table will discuss the impact of cooperatives in development with specific focus on food security, financial and economic stability, and environmental sustainability, while highlighting the uniqueness and resilience of the cooperative enterprise model as driving their strong role in these areas. It will also touch on their role in peacebuilding and creating bridges of communication in areas of conflict. It will discuss the roles of stakeholders in developing the internal capacity and policy space for strengthening cooperative enterprises.

Moderator: H.E. Enkhtsetseg Ochir (Mongolia)

Panelists:

1. Mr. Jack Wilkinson, President of ex-IFAP now World Famers' Organization, Canada

2. Mr. Li Chengyu, President of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Co-operatives (ACFSMC), China

3. Mr. Piet Moerland, Chairman of the Executive Board at Rabobank, Netherlands

4. Mr. Carlos Heller, Chairman of Banco Credicoop, Argentina

5. Ms. Maria Arantzazu Laskurain, Director of the General Secretariat, Mondragón, Spain

1:00-2:45pm Lunch time side events

3:00-6:00pm IYC Launch: Opening ceremony and plenary meeting, GA Hall

• H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly

• H.E. Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General, on behalf of the Secretary-General

• Dame Pauline Green, Cooperative Representative to present Outcome Statement from the morning’s Informal Panel

• The Right Honourable Gordon Brown MP, former British Prime Minister

• Member States and observers

Closing Remarks

• H.E. Mr. Jean-Francis Regis Zinsou, Vice President of the General Assembly

Taken as a whole, the launch programme seeks to highlight the cooperative model of enterprise as values-based, member-owned, successful and sustainable, by showing the ways in which they supportthe pledge of the UN Charter to “promote higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development”. The programme will highlight the unique aspects of cooperatives and their impact in the market as a complementary model of enterprise; it will identify the role that cooperatives can play in bringing greater security to global social and economic systems, and promote a drive for cooperative growth around the world.

Background

What are cooperatives? Cooperatives, as economic enterprises and as autonomous self-help organizations, play a meaningful role in uplifting the socioeconomic conditions of their members and their local communities, as well as running major international businesses. Over the years, cooperative enterprises have successfully operated locally-owned people-centred businesses while also serving as catalysts for social organization and cohesion. Within the membership of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) alone, more than 800 million people are members of cooperatives.

Cooperatives represent a model of economic enterprise, which when effectively implemented, promotes democratic and human values as well as respect for the environment. It is compelling to consider cooperatives as another model of economic enterprise that promotes community self reliance and benefits society in general. Cooperatives help create, improve and protect income as well as they generate employment opportunities and contribute to poverty reduction. As of 2007, cooperatives were responsible for more than 100 million jobs world wide.1 Cooperatives also promote social integration and cohesion as they are a means of empowering the poor and marginalized groups. As such, they also play an ever-increasing role in the promotion of gender equality and the social and economic empowerment of women. The cooperative sector, especially in developing countries, can therefore contribute to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Why an International Year of Cooperatives? The United Nations has long recognised the importance of the cooperative movement as an important partner in the implementation of the United Nations development Agenda, defined by the UN global conferences and summits since the 1990s. In light of the current global economic crisis, the IYC draws on the potential of cooperatives for job creation and income generation, local empowerment, and the linking of local populations to local and global markets. The IYC will give visibility to the contributions of cooperatives in addressing food security, social inclusion and gender empowerment. The IYC will also raise awareness of the strength and reach of cooperative in both developed and developing countries. This awareness is vital for promoting cooperatives formation and growth which will help leverage cooperative contributions for development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The 2012 IYC is a concrete step towards promoting and strengthening cooperatives and recognizing their important contributions to socio-economic development. The IYC has three main objectives:

1. to increase public awareness about cooperatives and their contributions to socio-economic development and the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs;

2. to promote the formation and growth of independent and sustainable cooperatives for socioeconomic

empowerment; and

3. to encourage Member States to establish policies, laws and regulations conducive to the formation, growth and stability of cooperatives.

1 ILO (2007). Fact Sheet: Cooperatives and Rural Employment. ILO Cooperative Branch: Geneva