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#Coops4dev makes partnerships with co-operatives a reality at global level High-level representatives highlight co-operatives as key partners in international development At the International Co-operative Alliance’s Global Conference and General Assembly held in Kuala Lumpur from 14 to 17 November in Malaysia, high-level representatives of the European Union, International Labor Organization, CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness, International Trade Union Confederation and United Cities of Local Authorities stressed the importance of partnerships with co-operatives for international development. The International Cooperative Development Platform celebrated its first meeting and several publications on international co-operative development were launched. During the #coops4dev session entitled Building Partnerships for the Future We Want on the 15th on November, which received over 200 participants, highlighted the importance of alternative economic models for development that can put human and economic growth as the first priority in their approach towards development. Co-operatives, following a value and people centered approach have been mentioned as the main development actor to partner with. On the previous day, the International Co-operative Development Platform (ICDP) held its first meeting to discuss an action plan based on the 9 recommendations drafted at the Platform’s launch in the International Summit of Co-operatives. During the world café session, high representatives from co-operative organizations working in international development in different regions, concretized the recommendations to kick-off and further develop the action plan for 2018. New publications on international co-operative development The ICA-EU partnership’s angle on partnership collaboration has also been emphasized in the launch of the new publication “A matter of principle: co-operatives in development“, presented at the Global Conference. The publication is the result a joint effort between the global and the regional offices of the ICA to showcase success stories of co-operative development that highlight the inherent synergy between co-operative values and sustainable development for all. During the Global Conference, the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP) also launched its report “Good practices in international cooperative development: Why creating a knowledge sharing culture is key for international cooperative development work” intended to encourage partnerships between CEDP members and to enable external actors to better understand the advantages of international co-operative development as a successful development approach. Our work and all the initiatives of #coops4dev have been trending through all our social media platforms. If you want to join the conversation on international co-operative development, follow the hashtag #coops4dev on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates on our activities, or follow us on Instagram @coops4dev for our best #CoopSmiles! Visit the Alliance’s website or coopsfor2030.coop for more information ENDS Editor’s notes: About the ICA-EU partnership: strengthening #coops4dev In March 2016, the International Co-operative Alliance entered into a partnership with the European Commission, ushering in a new phase of collaboration on strengthening the co-operative movement as development actors. The ICA-EU partnership, also called #coops4dev, aims to bring the co-operative model to the next level within international development policies and programs. It is built around activities focused on increasing visibility, enhancing advocacy, sharing capacity building, strengthening co-operative development networking, and supporting all these with evidence from exhaustive research. Acting as partners, the regional and global offices of the ICA are driving the actions, in collaboration with members, civil society organisations, international institutions and the EU. About the International Co-operative Alliance The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) is a non-profit international association established in 1895 to advance the co-operative social enterprise model. The Alliance is the apex organisation for co-operatives worldwide, representing more than 300 co-operative federations and organisations across 105 countries. The Alliance’s members are national level co-operative federations and individual co-operative organisations. The Alliance works with global and regional governments and organisations to create the legislative environments that allow co-operatives to form and grow. Towards the public, the Alliance promotes the importance of co-operatives’ values-based business model. Operating from a global office in Brussels, Belgium, the Alliance is organised with four Regional Offices (Europe, Africa, Americas and Asia-Pacific), and eight Sectoral Organisations (Banking, Agriculture, Fisheries, Insurance, Health, Housing, Consumer Co-operatives and Industrial and Services co-operatives). For further information contact: Catarina Santos +32 2 743 10 33 |
