African Ministers Agree to Support Cooperatives
Africa’s tenth Ministerial Conference on the theme of co-operatives was held a month ago in Rwanda. The meeting brought together 14 ministers from across Africa to focus on ways of supporting the co-operative enterprise model and engaging with governments. At the opening of the event from 25-26 October, Rwanda’s Prime Minister Dr Pierre Damien Habumuremyi called on participants...
Youth too often target for products and services to sell, says chairman of Rabobank
Young people are too often seen as a target for products, rather than being given the resources to become entrepreneurs, said Elise Van Driel from Rabobank at the Cooperatives and Youth: Empowerment, Employment and Engagement forum during the two day closing ceremony of the IYC in New York. Elise Van Driel, project leader of the UN IYC at Rabobank, chaired the event and read...
A New Era for Cooperatives Declared
Afaf Konja of South-South News covered the UN Press Conference for the IYC Closing Ceremony held on 20 November 2012 at the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, UN Headquarters in New York. Speakers on the press conference include Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance; Mr. Vincent Lokin, Executive Director, Cooperative Banking and Sustainability...
Cooperatives as Business Models of the Future
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 26 2012 (IPS) – When the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) concluded last week, some of the overwhelming success stories highlighted at a two-day interactive session came both from developing and developed countries, including India, Brazil, China, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Italy, France and the United States. As Dame Pauline Green, president of the...
UN chief praises potential of cooperatives to empower communities and combat hunger
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the role that cooperatives play as catalysts of inclusive development and their capacity to empower communities by creating jobs and generating incomes. During a ceremony to close the International Year of Cooperatives at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban also highlighted the contributions that cooperatives make to achieve...
Cooperatives: Empowering women farmers, improving food security
Rural cooperatives and farmers’ organizations play a crucial role in the eradication of hunger and poverty. One of the ways they achieve this is through their vocation to empower small agricultural producers, and in particular women farmers. “Organizing is the key to empowerment. Organizing is the process by which people who are individually weak and vulnerable unite and create...
Measure Cooperative Quality based on Members Properly Served and Social Contacts Established, says Indonesian Minister
New York, 20 November – Dr. Syarifuddin Hasan, State Minister for Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia attended the UN IYC closing ceremony and presented the highlights and achievements that his country made during the international year. In his remark, he strongly suggested that the number of members properly served by cooperatives and social contact with...
International Year of Cooperatives Closes with Special Observance
New York, 19 November-Governments, civil society and representatives of cooperatives, from various sectors, meet today at United Nations Headquarters to mark the closing of the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) under the theme “Promoting Cooperatives Beyond 2012.” The event, taking place from 19 to 20 November, will highlight major outcomes from the year and lessons learned...
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ILO Director-General explains why co-ops are key to feeding the world
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has expressed its support for World Food Day. In a statement released today, ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, underlined “the role of agricultural co-operatives in food…
Credit Unions celebrate ‘International Credit Union Day’
Credit Unions across the world celebrated International Credit Union Day last 18 October. Every year, on the third Thursday of October since 1948, credit unions have celebrated their unique way…
2012 International Summit of Cooperatives a Success; Second Summit being considered for 2014
The first International Summit of Cooperatives was a huge success—so successful, in fact, that the three hosts are talking about organizing another Summit in 2014. “Before making a decision, we…
Agricultural Cooperatives: Key to Feeding the World
Today, October 16, is World Food Day 2012. The focus of this year’s theme is agricultural cooperatives. The official World Food Day theme, announced each spring by the Food and Agriculture Organization…
International Summit of Cooperatives: Winning Strategies for Doing Business Differently
Panel members participating in the case study “Doing business our way – Winning strategies for doing business differently” clearly emphasized four common values—trust, justice, fairness and efficiency. They were unanimous:…
Imagine 2012 Opening session sets agenda of co-operative economics
A conference that brings together economic leaders of co-operative businesses around the world has opened in Quebec. Imagine 2012 is focusing on the co-operative economy with a number of academics…
Singapore Minister confident co-op model to stay resilient
The Singapore co-operative movement was highly praised by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports at their International Year of Co-operatives Regional Conference on…
Transparency International to talk of the Problems of Global Corruption in International Summit
The 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives is proud to welcome several prominent international organizations actively involved in current economic debates. Their presence at the Summit will be no doubt contribute…
