THEMES TO BE DISCUSSED DURING THE
33rd WORLD COOPERATIVE CONGRESSOVERARCHING THEME: DEEPENING OUR COOPERATIVEIDENTITY
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us to an unprecedented level the profoundvulnerability of human beings and ecological systems and highlighted the strong interconnectedness
between infectious disease transmission, the environment, the economy, entrepreneurship,
employment and social protection. At the same time, the crisis provides an unprecedented
opportunity to show to the world how cooperatives, through their shared identity based oncommunity needs and democratic entrepreneurship, are one of the fundamental actors in therethinking of the relationships between the economy, society and the environment, and their interdependency.
The 33rd World Cooperative Congress, which marks, with a one year delay due to the pandemic, the125th anniversary of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the 25th anniversary of the ICA
Statement on the Cooperative Identity approved by the 31st World Cooperative Congress in 1995 in
Manchester, is a unique opportunity for the cooperative movement to rediscover the strength of thecooperative identity in the ongoing crisis and the follow-on post-pandemic phase of history.
Cooperatives around the world have a common definition of what they are, a specific commitment tocooperative and ethical values, and clarity on the operational principles that differentiate them fromother forms of business.
How does the cooperative movement transform societies? How does the cooperative way of doing
business create an innovative pathway to a sustainable future? The Congress will examine theStatement on the Cooperative Identity in general and its implications in terms of education, culture,branding, inclusiveness and partnerships. It will probe into the competitive advantage brought by thecooperative identity —networks, innovation, IT, resilience and long-term business strategy, value
chains, and the unique nature of cooperative capital. It will explore how the cooperative identity
positively addresses current global issues that demand a resolute response — the crisis resulting fromthe pandemic, climate action, environment protection, sustainable development, positive peace,
income and wealth equality, gender equality, the future of work, international development,
community action, and cooperatives’ role in the wider social and solidarity economy.

FIRST THEME: EXAMINING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY
Plenary Session 1
The cooperative identity unites us to work for the common good. Our values andprinciples give millions of people control of their own lives, their future, and serve as thestrong foundation that sets cooperatives apart from other types of enterprises. How canour business model continue to be relevant in addressing today’s global challenges?
This first part of the Congress examines the cooperative identity in general as defined in the ICA
Statement on the Cooperative Identity, and from a series of specific angles in particular.
Cooperatives since their inception have been focusing on a double endeavour: a) contributing tomeeting people’s basic needs and aspirations (production, employment, consumption, health,education, housing credit, insurance etc.); and b) making sure that those same people, in order tomeet these needs and aspirations, control democratically and jointly own their common
enterprise in full autonomy. These two concepts enshrined in the cooperative definition1
revolving around the common needs and aspirations of ordinary people, and economic selfmanagement and empowerment, are probably more up-to-date than ever before, and the needs
and challenges are even more globally present and perceived. The fact that cooperative members
reinforce the cooperative movement through education, training and information (5th principle),cooperation among cooperatives (sixth principle) and their concern for their surrounding
community (7th principle) is conducive to people’s empowerment and to sustainable
development. All this, based on underlying values2, probably provides a stronger correspondencewith the ongoing world challenges than ever before.
The complementary sub-themes to be developed along this first part of the Congress in theparallel sessions are fundamental to better understand the essence of the cooperative identity,in particular:
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How it manifests itself through branding, particularly the COOP marque and the dotcoop
domain name (1.1)
Its inclusive character, linked in particular to principle 1 Voluntary and Open Membership, 2
Democratic Member Control, 3 Member Economic Participation and 7 Concern forCommunity (1.2)
Its educational character, linked to principle 5 Education, Training and Information (1.3)
Its cultural character, which appears in the cooperative definition itself (1.4)
Its relation with governments, which appears in principle 4 Autonomy and Independence (1.5)

1

A cooperative is “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic,
social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise”.
2
Cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity; as well as ethicalvalues of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

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EXAMINING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY THROUGH
A STRONG COOPERATIVE BRAND
Parallel Session 1.1.
Good brand management has been shown to support business growth. In cooperatives, throughthe COOP marque and the dotcoop domain name, branding is also a reflection of thecooperative identity, with its values and principles, helping to build loyalty and increase thenumber of members. Cooperative branding can highlight cooperative identity and its
components that most resonate with the public, like commitment to members and thecommunity, while giving cooperatives a competitive edge. What is the best way to manage
cooperative branding? What are the best examples? And how can we measure its impact?
Although the COOP marque and the dotcoop domain name, per se, do not explain what
cooperative identity is, they are ways to express it, and are used to promote it. The promotion ofcooperative branding should be ensured together with the promotion of cooperative identity. Are
there good examples of adequation between the two elements (cooperative identity and marque+ domain)?
The measurement of the cooperative branding is perhaps to be made based on how it can be achannel behind which a follow-on communication-educational work can convey the contents ofthe cooperative identity.
Which are the tools and solutions to help cooperatives knit efficiently their branding and marketing
efforts into one cohesive, trackable system, to maintain and grow cooperatives’ mission, impact,
and reputation in full adequation with the cooperative identity? In the post-COVID-19 world, how
can cooperative members and workforce learn and build together their cooperative brand andexperience?
When it comes to brand consistency, cooperatives’ visuals say a lot, such as the COOP marque. So,
what are the tools to promote cooperative images related to the cooperative identity? How can we
track consistency, from the digital to the real economy, and the local community?

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EXAMINING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY THROUGHINCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE
Parallel Session 1.2.
Participation and inclusion of cultural, gender and age diversity are fundamental for a soundcooperative governance, and they are at the heart of our cooperative identity. To keep thesecharacteristics alive, we must continuously question ourselves: Are we inclusive enough? Whatcan we do to keep the cooperative identity appealing to everyone? How do we make sure ourgovernance practices are inclusive and welcoming to all?
This theme is linked in particular to the cooperative values of democracy, self-responsibility,
equality and equity, [mutual] self-help; to the ethical values of openness, social responsibility andcaring for others; and to principle 1 Voluntary and Open Membership, 2 Democratic Member
Control, 3 Member Economic Participation and 7 Concern for Community.
The endeavour against less discrimination and more inclusion is gaining pace in societies all over
the world. It is at the very root of the cooperative experience: the early cooperators consciously
included women and people of different opinions as cooperative members with full voting rights.
However, it is often not enough to have a single “open door” policy to admit new members in thecooperative and elect new representatives to the cooperative’s governing bodies. Experience
shows that gender balance is often not spontaneously obtained nor is youth representation, justby providing the democratic opportunity to vote and be elected. On the other hand, thecooperative, being embedded in a community, should reflect the diversity of the latter. At thesame time, though, there are specific types of cooperatives aimed at providing more equality andempowerment to specific groups in the community, like women and youth: far fromdiscriminating, they are instead aimed at promoting the specific economic, social and culturalneeds and aspirations of the population seeking more equality and needing more empowerment.
Principled leadership and cooperative values are key to inclusive governance. What are the mostinspiring cases from which other cooperatives can learn? How do cooperatives promote inclusive
promotion paths for all, and in particular promote community and local development that leaves
no one behind?
How do cooperatives best prepare potential board members, elected board members andmembers in general to understand the process of governance, the skills, and the values that canmake the success of the cooperative, of the cooperative business stakeholders and of thecommunity in which the cooperative is active?
There can be tension among various levers and means of control within cooperatives. How docooperatives and their boards, management, members and workers, resolve tensions and come up
with the right solutions for cooperative success? How is this beneficial to inclusion?
In governance, the cognitive dimension plays a key role in completing other resources in building
knowledge, which may lead to organizational learning in the evolution of cooperatives’ collective
innovation and other capabilities. As we know, many cooperatives are resilient, and are long living
entities: How do cooperatives promote and apply this cognitive dimension in building thecooperative capabilities and remain successful in their mission across time?

4EXAMINING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY THROUGHEDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIESParallel Session 1.3.
Cooperative Principle #5 provides cooperatives with the basis to prioritise education, training andinformation for all. It’s necessary to make cooperative curricula commonly and readily available at
all levels of educational institutions, from elementary and secondary schools to college anduniversity degree programs. What are the best emblematic examples? What have we learned fromthem? How can they be disseminated faster?
As mentioned above, this theme is closely linked to the 5th cooperative principle Education, Training
and Information which states that “Cooperatives provide education and training for their members,
elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to thedevelopment of their cooperatives. They inform the general public - particularly young people andopinion leaders - about the nature and benefits of cooperation”.
The promotion of education has been a cooperative principle and practice since the very beginning of
the spread of the idea of cooperation internationally in the 19th century. It takes into account thatcooperatives are associations of people, and not of experts who work for people at large. In otherwords, a lot depends on cooperatives and their leadership to establish systems that keep cooperative
members and staff trained, educated and informed, and ahead in business. Thus, continuing
education and training, and free and fair information is crucial for a cooperative to remain viable.
The other aspect of cooperative education is the inclusion of cooperatives in school and university
curricula. We often hear about people stumbling upon cooperatives and not learning enough about
them, not the least in a scientific way, during school and university. Even adult and continuing adulteducation seldom cover cooperatives. One of the known examples is the cooperative home schoolingestablished by Nobel Laureate Marie Curie and her peer from the community of science and arts inFrance, aimed to educate without discrimination on the basis of gender, and on a variety of subjects
that the regular school system did not offer at the time.
ILO Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (n° 193) requires cooperatives to be includedin the curricula at all levels of national education systems. Cooperatives should encourage and actively
participate in developing the curriculum and promoting cooperative education in their national
education system. We are a long way to have this policy recommendation implemented all around theworld, even though emblematic exceptions (e.g. Argentina, India) should be mentioned. Teaching on
cooperatives has not progressed or has even moved backwards in the last few decades in many
countries, against an increasingly dominant business model.
Aside the important education and knowledge arms of almost all cooperative apex organisations
around the world, several sub-types of cooperatives have emerged in educational spaces. These
include schools and universities organized on the cooperative idea with membership from students,
teachers, in some cases the state; consumer cooperatives with membership of students/pupils in
education spaces; credit cooperatives in schools; tutors cooperatives on internet platforms etc. They
provide students and pupils with real life experience in managing a cooperative, thus also a key “live”
educational experience.
Education is a common good and opens life opportunities to all. Education is also learning to learn,
and how to access and assess knowledge and information. How have cooperatives been a key vector
by which education is expanded?
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Education is also about values and civic engagement. How do cooperatives experiment and create
education opportunities? How do they teach new generations about cooperative values andprinciples? How do students find a leading voice through children’s cooperatives in schools? How cancooperatives promote learning to know, to do, to be, and to live together?
What are the best examples of cooperatives in the world of education, in schools, universities, lifelong
skills, children, pedagogy and theory of education? Who are the leading stakeholders: parents,
children, teachers, workers?
What should be done in the world of education to communicate better the cooperative model, teachmore and better about cooperatives, and build sustainable education policy?

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EXAMINING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY THROUGH
COOPERATIVE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Parallel Session 1.4.
In 2016, UNESCO, via the German cooperative movement, recognized cooperatives as Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO’s decision is an important acknowledgment of thededication shown by millions of people working in cooperatives all over the world. What is theimplication of this honour? How can we promote it to strengthen the pride in, and value ofcooperative identity worldwide?
The notion of cultural heritage has been defined over the years after the UNESCO Conventions
covering the topic as well as providing institutional and policy mechanisms for their safeguarding wereadopted in 1972. The significance of cultural heritage, and the importance of protecting it, rest on theneed to safeguard it for use and enjoyment of future generations. This matches with the grounds onwhich the concept of sustainable development is founded. Cultural heritage is generally attributed at
the national and local level, and covers monuments, physical sites, and, since 2003, intangible cultural
heritage - such as traditional practices, knowledges and expressions.
Though found locally, intangible cultural heritage has to be safeguarded at the international level withthe spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance [Preamble, and Art. 16 of the Convention to Safeguard
immaterial cultural heritage, 2003].
The listing of the “cooperative idea” as UNESCO immaterial cultural heritage beacons a responsibility
upon cooperatives worldwide to invigorate a new area of inter-cooperation and promote theintangible culture of cooperation that is nurtured across the world in countless communities of diverse
backgrounds and geographies. This culture of cooperation is always linked to a story of people andtheir enterprise in working towards their common needs.
The UNESCO international listing of the “cooperative idea” as immaterial cultural heritage is ofsignificance for future generations, empowers cooperatives to in turn play a proactive role inpromoting the notion of cultural heritage itself.
Realizing that immaterial cultural heritage is a new area of policy making, and a relevant area toadvance sustainable development – an effective way forward is for cooperative organizations topartner with state departments and civil society organizations concerned with culture and cultural
heritage, to identify the existing cultural heritage sites and practices of communities, and promote theidea of cooperation there with the aim to safeguard the cultural heritage (e.g. promoting cooperation
among argan oil producers of Morocco), as well as safeguarding those cooperatives that are organizedby persons protecting a cultural heritage (e.g. argan oil producer cooperatives in Morocco).
The 1995 ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity, among other components, added the cultural
aspect to the definition of cooperatives. This meant the interplay of culture and cultural needs andaspirations, with universal cooperative values and principles, thus opening an entire spectrum ofgrowth and development of people and communities that is holistic and sustainable.
The huge challenges of COVID-19 are compelling cooperation between diverse actors including theprivate sector across industry, states and local governments, as well as civil society organizations,among others. This session will elaborate on the notion of the ‘culture of cooperation’ from different
perspectives, including:
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Specific inter-cooperation among cooperatives, and the implementation of the democratic
standards of governance and control by cooperatives, might help the recovery process yieldsustainable results.
Addressing cultural needs and aspirations of members may bring transformative change amongpeople towards social inclusion and social justice, and facilitate innovation, empowerment, anddecent employment in communities.
Culture, especially traditional knowledge, expression and wisdom as a source of cooperative
identity and further interpretation of the values and principles enshrined in the ICA Statement on
the Cooperative Identity.
Cooperatives contributing to enhancing the representative list of immaterial cultural heritage by
working with states in identifying cooperatives organized by persons protecting traditional
knowledge, arts and expressions.

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EXAMINING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY THROUGHPARTNERSHIPS WITH GOVERNMENTS
Parallel Session 1.5.
Many cooperatives have been created through grassroots campaigns. Others have been promoted
and supported by governments as part of a country's economic strategy. Others have successfully
developed a partnership ecosystem with governments through public policy co-creation and comanagement. It has been shown that such approaches can be effective in growing the cooperative
movement, especially in rural and marginalised communities. What lessons can we learn from theseapproaches? How can we encourage more governments to consider these approaches as part oftheir strategy for a sustainable future for all?
This session presents the opportunity to deepen the understanding the 4th cooperative principle ofAutonomy and Independence in the light of today’s world. It is no longer sufficient to simply proclaim
cooperatives’ autonomy and independence as a reaction to several decades of a trend where stateled policy limited such autonomy and independence in a number of countries: in addition, engagementin partnership, on an equal footing, is precisely something to be considered today in the light of the
4th principle.
Partnerships can be temporary or permanent and may engage two or multiple stakeholders, such as
cooperatives, community organizations, local authorities, and national governments. Partnerships
may be promoted:
1) As a means for sustainable development across the UN SDGs, such as in financial inclusion, jobs,
access to health and education, food and agriculture;2) In the provision of community services;3) In the sharing of resources to eradicate poverty.
Questions to be asked may include:
1) What is the knowledge cooperatives have of partnerships, models and experiences of cooperatives
locally and internationally?
2) How do cooperatives evaluate sound proposals of partnerships for development?
3) How can cooperatives envisage, co-manage, co-construct public policies that make anenvironment supportive of effective partnerships?
4) How do cooperatives build entrepreneurship capacity for partnerships?
5) How are partnerships built? Which are the available tools? What are the benefits and risks tocooperatives when sharing resources?
6) How is partnership risk evaluated; how to work out eligibility, feasibility, and programming?

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SECOND THEME: STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY
Plenary Session 2
Innovation and entrepreneurship are more important than ever in facing today’s complex global
economy. The people-centred cooperative model nurtures talent, creativity and encourages
innovative ideas to create a more humane and inclusive society. How do we make our cooperative
identity a competitive advantage in the global market?
Enterprises today tend to not only sell goods or services, but also a narrative about the community where thegood or service is produced, and that also often cover declarations of social and environmental engagement.
Under the same logic, cooperatives also have an opportunity to sell more than simply their goods or services, byusing their identity. This goes beyond simple marketing, because it constitutes a potent opportunity to also
promote the cooperative business model, which in turn is potentially conducive to better competitiveness,leading to a virtuous circle.
Through this second part of the Congress, we should find out which elements of the cooperative identity (basedon the Statement on the Cooperative Identity) are conducive to cooperatives’ entrepreneurial strength andcompetitiveness in the globalized economy. These elements deriving from the cooperative identity can both bea) visible to the outside world, such as developing a narrative around characteristics of the cooperative businessmodel that can be attractive to clients and potential clients and society (such as internal democracy, being
inserted in an ethical value chain); or b) internal elements that are not necessarily visible to the outside world
but are equally important in ensuring cooperatives’ entrepreneurial sustainability and competitiveness, such as
cooperative-specific ways to build horizontal groups and networks among themselves, develop cooperativespecific financial instruments for their capitalization, adapt to IT tools, or elaborate and implement various typesof organizational innovation.
What are the specific elements deriving from the cooperative identity that can increase cooperatives’competitiveness? How can cooperatives make better use of their identity to better market their goods orservices? Could this really represent a breakthrough in terms of competitiveness?
The parallel sessions under this second Congress theme will discuss:• Digitalization (2.1)• Ethical value chains (2.2)• Entrepreneurial networks (2.3)• Cooperative-specific capital formation (2.4)• Entrepreneurial innovation (2.5).

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STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY BY
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE DIGITAL AGE
Parallel Session 2.1.
The digital economy is around us. It transforms the world as we know it. From the “new normal” introduced
by COVID-19, business models are emerging motivated by positive social impact, sustainable development andinclusion of gender and cultures. However, the digital economy is profoundly disrupting the world of work.
What must be done to remain a source of inspiration while respecting members and their common interest?
How can cooperatives guarantee a bright future for workers while going digital?
As we are in the midst of the digital world, which is redefining and disrupting the conventional business models
and nature of work, one of the important sub themes is the opportunities and challenges of strengthening
cooperative identity by taking advantage of the digital world.
Many of the characteristics of the digital world like voluntarism, collaboration, crowd sourcing, democratizationof technology etc., align well with the Statement on the Cooperative Identity. However the presence ofcooperatives in leading the digital revolution is low. This session will dwell deep on this paradox and come up
with strategies to strengthen the cooperative movement in the digital world.
The deliberations will focus on three aspects:a) How do existing cooperatives and cooperative organisations deepen their engagement and identity using
digital means?
b) How do we motivate and enhance the development of youth led technology cooperatives that leads thedigital world to adopt the cooperative form of organization?
c) What is the distinct role cooperatives could play in ensuring a bright future for workers who are getting
disrupted due to digital technology and business models?
The first aspect will deliberate on the ways in which existing cooperatives, especially in traditional sectors, could
adopt and adapt digital technologies to strengthen their economic and social position. As corporate entities andaggregator platforms make deeper inroads in many economic realms which were traditionally dominated bycooperatives, the need for cooperatives to rediscover the digital world becomes a necessity. The possibility of
traditional cooperatives to enhance productivity of their work to remain competitive in the digital world will bedeliberated in detail. As the digital world is also about enhanced automation (Industry 4.0), this may mean
reduction in human labour, and work against the interest of cooperatives. How do cooperatives enhance theirbusiness so that increased productivity leads to overall benefit of members?
While the first aspect focuses on the existing cooperatives, the need for bringing more new age enterprises into
the cooperative umbrella forms the key point of discussion in the second aspect. The digital age is characterized
by the emergence of several startups and young innovators leveraging technology to develop solutions withexponential growth potential. Many of the digital age products are developed through global collaborations
among young innovators and the cooperative model seems to be a natural organizational identity for suchcollective entrepreneurship models. Unfortunately, barring a few countries, the prevalence of cooperatives inthe technology space is rather low. This is surprising as most of the leading universities in the world, from wheremost of the digital enterprises emerge, have cooperatives playing a significant role in providing student
amenities. It is important to deepen the engagement with new age innovators and entrepreneurs to make thecooperative movement stay relevant and grow in the digital age. At a broader level, the possibility of using
technology to deepen engagement with underrepresented sections of society in the cooperative movement will
also be explored. Development of women led cooperatives by leveraging on technology could be one such
example.
The third aspect will deliberate on the ways in which workers and other stakeholders, who are getting
increasingly marginalized by technology, remain relevant through the cooperative movement. The need for11reskilling the workers, developing new models like platform cooperatives to enable workers to play a significant
role in development, using technology to enhance their reach, using open innovation models by worker
cooperatives etc., are some of the areas the deliberations will focus on.
Broadly, the theme of Strengthening our Cooperative Identity focuses on issues and opportunities of enhancing
and/or creating cooperative identity in the digital world among three types of stakeholders. These could beexisting cooperatives workers and others who are getting disrupted and displaced by technology and new age
youth and women innovators and startups who are leading the growth in the digital era.
To strengthen the cooperative identity in digital age, the following aspects will be deliberated:a) Using digital technology and models to enhance the competitiveness of existing cooperativesb) Promoting cooperatives among young innovators and technology companies to create an identity forcooperatives in the digital world akin to the role cooperatives have been playing in the industrialized world.
c) Create cooperatives as an identity to support the survival and growth of workers (human labour) who are
getting increasingly disrupted and displaced by technology in the digital world, by enabling them to play a
proactive economic role in the new world.
Education is at the heart of the cooperative movement. One of the leading digital innovations take place inteaching, training and learning digital platforms. How can cooperatives harness the potential of teaching
platforms? Should cooperatives teach coding? What are best case examples in the cooperative movement so
far?
Cooperative start-ups are an important part of the cooperative movement. How to promote and support themin the evolving digital world? Should the cooperative movement take this up alone or in partnership with publicauthorities?
Digitalization is changing procurement strategies, mobilising users’ experience, new buying channels, reducing
administrative processes, real-time supply, stocks and analytics, dynamic workflow from front to back office, andcentralizing supplier data. What should be done for cooperatives to remain adaptive and competitive?
In the digital age, data is wealth. How should cooperatives prepare and act in terms of ethics, risk management
and analysis, data mining, e-commerce and e-banking, information processing, algorithms, successful
management of virtual environments including virtual meetings?

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STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY BY
SUPPORTING AN ETHICAL VALUE CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Parallel Session 2.2.
All types of organizations need to demonstrate an ethical, strong and resilient value chain that meets thehighest standards to fight modern slavery, financial crime and climate change. Cooperative members aredemanding more information on the products and services they consume. Regulators are considering stricter
enforcement programs with substantial penalties for those who do not comply. How satisfactory are therelationships of cooperatives to current partner organizations in various value chains? Are there morebusiness opportunities within the global Fair-Trade? Are secondary and tertiary cooperatives being used forleveraging the regional and global markets? Are they providing enough support to primary cooperatives andtheir communities?
Cooperatives occupy various positions across the value chain ranging from producers, workers, transport,
consumers, and recycling. Their uniqueness from other business models is found in their identity (definition,
values, and principles) and in their structure deriving from it. They ensure that their members and stakeholders
receive a more significant share of the value of their products and are driven by a fairer distribution of value andcontrol to ensure they achieve most of their main goals in eradicating poverty, hunger, and inequality. They
maintain a sustainable and ethical performance concerning environmental protection, climate change, humanrights, and product safety. However, there is still an untapped opportunity to create a fairer and moresustainable supply chains to promote more equitable outcomes in the society to which cooperatives cancontribute.
Under globalization and increased competition in the international markets, cooperatives are faced with theneed to connect across the national, regional and international borders, to meet the needs and achieve theobjectives of their members. One of their strengths is their adaptability in response to market demand. They
maintain their market behaviour and distinguish themselves by honest measurement, high quality, and fair
prices. However, cooperatives can become exposed to market demands as they are expected to respond to value
chain partners' needs. This has an implication on their functioning as they need to abide by their values andprinciples as part of their identity, and ensure they are ethical, responsible and sustainable businesses. Fosteringand maintaining relationships is critical to ensuring a member-centred, user-driven cooperative. For acooperative to succeed, it needs to be operated in the spirit of a cooperative, that is, to have meaningful member
understanding, engagement, and influence over its direction to ensure that the decision-making process andassociated outcomes do not dilute members' own interests and values.
In human rights practices, cooperatives play a significant role in implementing social and ethical responsibility.
Besides, as a people-centred business model, cooperatives encourage respecting people, caring about people,
and putting people first before profit. Cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness,social responsibility, and caring for others. These values are embedded in the cooperative principle of concern
for the community. Thus, it is the most proper and effective business model to realize human development andeconomic and social rights.
The cooperative movement globally commits itself to respect, promote and act diligently to support thefundamental tenets of decent work that promotes:• Freedom of association and full recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
• The elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour.
• An end to child labour.
• The elimination of discrimination in employment and every form of work.
The panelists will explore how cooperatives experience and build value chain management involving
transformation processes in:131) Technology – such as with new technologies to help build and achieve ethical and sustainability
reputation, eg with solar and other renewable energy, and social, labour and community engagement.
2) Regulations and standards along a triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental), eg green
economy, ecological modernization, inclusive communities
3) Civil society leadership, eg mobilizing grassroots and communities in the promotion of safety, care,inclusion, and alternative technologies
4) Market incentives, whereby cooperatives help build systems and pricing that promote sustainability, eg
markets for carbon offsets, fair pricing, etc.
Can and should cooperatives aim at leading transformations towards a chosen direction, by showing:1) How to define what is ethical, sustainable, what is inclusive, along value chains, that can respond to
producers and consumers evolving requirements, as well as lead firms in global value chains;
2) who controls what and through which forms of governance may be best for cooperatives;
3) who gets what and how it is distributed, addressing everyday practices of cooperatives in value chains,
as well as making accountable the other stakeholders in the value chain;4) how do cooperatives address market challenges of consolidation and concentration, towards market
forms of linkages that allow for inclusion, ethics and sustainability.

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STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY BY
HAVING A STRONG ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORK
Parallel Session 2.3.
Innovation and entrepreneurship require the ability to connect to a large support network of people, ideas
and financial resources. Successful cooperative partnerships and groupings, both sectoral and cross-sectoral,
have developed in many countries over the last decades, based on cooperative Principle #6: cooperation
among cooperatives. Can strong global networks of cooperatives be created to increase market shares andenter new ones?
This topic corresponds first and foremost to the 6th cooperative principle of Cooperation among Cooperatives,
which states that “Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement
by working together through local, national, regional and international structures”.
Business networks are seen to outperform traditional firms working in isolation or individually. They entail
cooperation on selected goals or shared missions, which may be strategic or operational.
Many cooperatives have, in various sectors and inter-sectorally, created horizontal business groups or consortia
among themselves, often with two or three organisational layers with secondary and tertiary cooperatives, andwith a horizontal type of governance which combines the second cooperative principle of Democratic Member
Control and the sixth cooperative principle of Cooperation among Cooperatives. Some of the oldest cooperative
groups still in existence today were established at the beginning of the 20th century, such as Desjardins in Quebec(Canada) in banking and CCPL in Emilia-Romagna (Italy) in industry, or as early as the mid 19th century with the
Cooperative Wholesale Society in the UK among consumer cooperatives. Some of these groups have today
become top business actors in their respective countries and top actors in local development, like theMondragon Group in the Basque Country (Spain).
What is the impact of cooperative groups and consortia on the development of the regions in which they areembedded?
What are the best cooperatives’ network organizational structures in 2021, and for the 21st century?
What are the benefits of network structure for cooperatives? Are there any drawbacks or risks and how to handle
them?
How do cooperatives build the best local authentic networks from producers to consumers and users that benefit
communities and members, such as in food and farming, credit, and marketing?
Can we think of building cooperative branding or cooperative brand equity aligned throughout the network(through brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand association, quality, preference, experience and engagement)?
In terms of inclusion, do or should cooperatives promote social and professional networking among members,
workers, users, or potential new cooperators?

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STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY BY
MEETING FUTURE CAPITAL NEEDS
Parallel Session 2.4.
Based on their identity, cooperative enterprises have a specific capital structure because of their ownershipand control system, with limited nominal capital contributed by members, while building long-term reserve
funds. As a result, cooperatives strive to find innovative ways to build capital in order to support theirdevelopment and make sure their capitalization model is taken into consideration by regulators. Whatshould be done to ensure a form of capital management that allows for cooperatives to innovate, be resilient,
grow and succeed in their mission?
This sub-theme corresponds first and foremost to the 3rd cooperative principle on member economic
participation which states: “Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of theircooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually
receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate
surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing their cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves,part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with thecooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.”Today, many are rethinking the future of capital, their responsibilities to shareholders and stakeholders, newinvestment approaches towards a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economy. The pandemic has alteredperceptions and strategies. What will be the key post-pandemic trends to impact the future of capital as many
rethink growth, risk and strategy? How should banking, credit cooperatives, as well as all other cooperatives,
think of it?
Is the future of capital green? How to harness the changing donors, users, preferences? Policy interventions may
have a strong impact on asset values: how should cooperatives prepare for the future?
ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) refers to the three non-financial performance indicators which
include ethical, sustainable and corporate government issues to measure the sustainability and ethical impactof an investment in businesses. These criteria are used to screen investments and evaluate future financial
performance.
Factors impacting on the preference for cooperative identity include• access to equity,• demand for liquidity and• acquisition of assets.
What are the best examples to take care of these factors? How is capital allocated to support the preference forcooperative identity as well as thinking of a sustainable future?
What are the best experiences in building centres of excellence to support cooperatives’ innovation, training,
adaptation, and capability to tap the potential of a green / sustainable economy?
What about sustainability -related disclosure, upcoming taxonomies and standards, and new financing
instruments such as green bonds?
This session should focus both on:• Capital in individual cooperatives, distinguishing in turn both members’ nominal capital and common reserve
funds: what is the intrinsic nature of such capital compared to capital in conventional companies• Mutualized financial instruments for the development of cooperatives, both banking and non banking ones.
16

STRENGTHENING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY BY
SUPPORTING ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATION
Parallel Session 2.5.
According to their international definition, cooperatives are characterized by being both enterprises andassociations, and their true identity can only be acquired if a balance between the two elements ismaintained. Therefore, entrepreneurial innovation must embody cooperative values and principles. What
are their growth trajectories? How have cooperatives pursued entrepreneurial innovation while embodying
cooperative values? What challenges must cooperatives overcome to become successful future businesses?
Entrepreneurial innovation can be more organizational or more managerial. In both cases, the cooperative
identity provides an important potential source of innovation.
Democratic deliberations among cooperative members may sometimes be seen as time wasted but, if properly
conducted, it can instead result in being an important investment in the business. Likewise, internal conflict
resolution and decision-making in front of crises can provide a level of consensus that, in the end, results in being
far less costly than having fully blown out conflicts exacerbated by the crisis.
In terms of new business ideas, democratic debate and brainstorming, if properly conducted (as part of theinnovation drive) can lead to business ideas that would not have necessarily sprung up in conventional business.
In addition, cooperative members, who generally come from the local community, can more easily take the pulseof the latter in understanding its needs and aspirations than conventional businesses.
Innovation can also focus on better marketing the cooperative identity, for example by putting in value theinternal democracy in a client-oriented narrative, showing that the financial capital of the cooperative remains
in the local community, that the cooperative is open to all who can qualify with the type of membership it isdedicated to, etc.
How do cooperatives leaders focus on building a sense of community and shared capabilities? How do theycreate a space where people want to belong?

17

THIRD THEME: COMMITTING TO OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY
Plenary Session 3
Inclusion and humanity are at the core of our identity, making cooperatives a valuable tool in theconstruction of positive peace. We respond to the needs of refugees, rebuild after natural disasters,
look after the most vulnerable, and respond to the ravages of a global pandemic. These crises areconstantly threatening an increasingly globalised economy. How can cooperatives work together tobring about positive and lasting change in the world?
This theme is particularly linked to the cooperative values of [mutual] self-help and self-responsibility and to the
ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others, and to the 7th cooperative
principle Concern for Community which states that “Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of theircommunities through policies approved by their members”.
Some key world challenges are increasingly global in nature, including the five challenges in the follow-on parallelsessions: the environment (3.1), peace and equality (3.2), international (3.3) and community development (3.4),
and international crises (3.5). These challenges illustrate the increasingly finite nature of our world.
The cooperative movement, being global in its identity and in its organization, is not only a global actor to betaken into account due to its numerical importance, but also one which is contributing directly to meeting these
global challenges through different components of its identity: its capacity to respond to society’s rapidly
evolving needs and aspirations, including environmental ones, propels it as a gradually important actor also in
the environmental field. It tends to generate positive peace and equality through an intrinsic inclusive anddemocratic character (including conflict resolution) and the fact that the needs and aspirations cooperative meetsometimes associate conflicting groups. In terms of response and resilience to crises, cooperatives have shownsuch resilience and proactiveness on repeated occasions in the past, and the more these crises are becoming
global, the more cooperatives’ response to them acquire an increasingly global significance. In the field ofinternational development, the UN through Resolution 56/114 of 2001 recognizes “that cooperatives, in theirvarious forms, promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of all people,
including women, youth, older persons and people with disabilities, and are becoming a major factor of economic
and social development”, while the EU recognized in 2015 cooperatives as being one of the few key actors in thefield of international development cooperation.

18

COMMITTING TO OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY FOR
THE SURVIVAL OF THE PLANET
Parallel Session 3.1.
The top priority of a majority of institutions on the planet is to act on climate change. The pandemic has
highlighted the interdependence between the degradation of the environment and health risks. Cooperatives
have been committed to and have been responding to UN Sustainable Development Goals long before thesecame into being. How does the global cooperative movement fight against climate change? What measures
are being taken in cooperative sectors—agriculture, fisheries, consumption, housing, health, banking,insurance, industry and services, etc. to mitigate the adverse effects of the climate crisis and build resilience?
How do the different cooperative sectors address the loss of biodiversity? What are the best coping strategies?
This theme corresponds to SDG 13 Climate Action, 12 Sustainable Consumption and Production, 14 Life Below
Water and 15 Life on Land.
To survive, humans need to make peace with the planet, as the Third Global Session of the UN Science-PolicyBusiness Forum on the Environment (UN-SPBF) 2021 called its final debate, in the face of three planetary crises
identified in the UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy: 1) climate change; 2) biodiversity loss; and 3) pollution, such as
dealing with marine plastics and building a circular economy.
Sustainable consumption and production form another key process for the planet’s survival. The 1994 Oslo
Symposium speaks of “the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better
quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste
and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations.”
Discussions include how to build low-carbon, resource-efficient, inclusive societies in both urban and rural areas,
and building nature-positive food systems. What are the best examples among cooperatives to help saving theplanet, its biodiversity, and health in general?
The April 2021 meeting of the UN Technical Working Group on Enabling the SDGs through Inclusive, Just energy
transitions, proposed re-examining several concepts before finalizing the report, such as: what is “inclusive” and“just” transition; and how women can be incorporated as agents of change, not just beneficiaries. How is thecooperative identity sustaining an inclusive, just, empowering energy transition?
At the Leaders Summit on Climate, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would double its public climate
finance for lower-income countries by 2024 and released a first-ever international climate finance plan. How
should cooperatives respond, in developed and less developed countries?
In terms of relation with the cooperative identity, the theme of the environment is linked to the concept ofsustainable development (triple bottom line: economic, social and environmental) mentioned in the 7thcooperative principle and the concept of community enshrined in the same principle, which includes the global
community, as well as to the “economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations” of the cooperative definition,
which also have environmental implications.
The environmental bottom-line of cooperatives appears less explicitly than the economic and social ones, in spiteof enhanced awareness attained in this field recently. It requires explaining that, amidst globalization,“community”, as mentioned in the 7th cooperative principle, covers the environmental dimension as well.
What practices can be shown as a way forward in different types of cooperatives (both producer ones and users’ones)? How can the cooperative movement resolutely embrace environmental considerations in its
commitment to its identity?
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COMMITTING TO OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY FORPEACE AND EQUALITY
Parallel Session 3.2.
According to the ICA Declaration on Positive Peace through Cooperatives (2019), peace based on “goodcontribution in the community, particularly cooperation and integration, reconciliation and equality’ is“positive peace.” Many times, cooperatives have been directly involved in positive peace initiatives without
being necessarily recognized for the direct role they have played. Does support for positive peace featureprominently in the global cooperative movement? How do their actions translate into restoring post-conflict
peace and stability, conflict prevention, natural disaster recovery and the refugee crisis?
This theme corresponds to SDG 16 peace and 10 reduced inequalities.
The Declaration on Positive Peace through Cooperatives, approved by the ICA General Assembly held in Kigali in
2019, states that “Cooperatives are already well recognized for their role after crises, be they financial or economic
crises, natural disasters or violent conflicts. However, cooperatives do much more for positive peace: creating jobs andenterprises that are rooted in the territories, dynamic and long-lasting; providing affordable housing and access tocredit and savings, insurance and markets; ensuring the survival, recovery, prosperity and preparedness of individualand family livelihoods, communities and local communities, and this whether at sea, on the coast, mountains, urban
or rural areas; responding with success to social needs in care, education, health, as well as to sustainability concerns
in the areas of energy and patterns of consumption production and distribution. Cooperatives provide newopportunities and long-term paths to create wealth and capital that are not purely financial nor for a reduced numberof people”.
How is the cooperative identity conducive to local positive peace building, and to address or prevent violence inall its forms (gender, structural, cultural, physical, etc.)?
How cooperatives generate equality, which is conducive to positive peace, in particular through the first principle
Voluntary and Open Membership through which new members are included equally, and the third principle
Member Economic Participation which provides a price adjustment to workers, producers and users, throughsurplus redistribution?
How is conflict resolution something many cooperatives have to practice internally through the second
cooperative principle of democratic member control?
In which way cooperative values enhance peace? Can the cooperative identity be linked to a culture of everyday
peace?

20

COMMITTING TO OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY FOR
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE WORLD
Parallel Session 3.3.
By giving local communities direct control over their destiny, whether in agricultural production, health,housing, education, industry, retail, banking or energy, cooperatives play a decisive role in the world economy.
There are lessons to be learned from successes and failures in international cooperative development. Whatlessons have been learnt from the ICA-EU Partnership programme in cooperative development? How have thevalues and principles which are part of the cooperative identity been important in this process?
As per the Statement on the Cooperative Identity, a cooperative is “an autonomous association of persons united
voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned
and democratically controlled enterprise” As a tried and tested model for two centuries and constantly expanding
under innovative forms, cooperatives are fundamental development actors as they represent people-centeredbusinesses, which empower citizens to fulfill their economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a
jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise embedded in the community, and therefore enablepeople around the world to take control of their livelihoods.
When it comes to international cooperative development, it is the term ‘cooperative’ which makes thedifference. Anchored and built on the cooperative identity, international cooperative development processes
add a fundamental dimension to international development cooperation as we know it today. Using thecooperative model generates multiple benefits, such as building local expertise, creating decent jobs, andproviding affordable services as well as learning opportunities. This has propelled cooperatives as being
recognized as a crucial development actor for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
UN through Resolution 56/114 of 2001 recognizes “that cooperatives, in their various forms, promote the fullest
possible participation in the economic and social development of all people, including women, youth, older
persons and people with disabilities, and are becoming a major factor of economic and social development”.
Cooperatives enable a locally anchored and inclusive development process thanks to their specific model basedon the cooperative identity (definition, values and principles). Furthermore, cooperatives’ actions have aparticularly significant impact since they function as efficient networks and encourage worldwide exchanges andpartnerships.
The longstanding experience of international cooperative development processes has undeniably revealed two
major strengths, namely the impact of cooperatives on their local communities, combined with a collaborativeand global approach.
How to highlight better data on cooperatives to inform policy and advocacy? At which levels? How to leverage
impact for cooperative support in development of communities across the world? Funding, partnerships,
frameworks, consultation processes?
How do cooperatives work and with whom have they worked when they support community driven
development? Are there any lessons concerning cooperative identity for the identity of those involved indevelopment work?
This session will analyze the impact of international cooperative development from a collaborative and global
approach through the importance to boost such local development processes according to the sixth cooperative
principle of Cooperation amongst cooperatives and the second cooperative principle of Democratic member
control.
21••

Cooperation amongst cooperatives: as an international movement founded on the value of [mutual] selfhelp, there is a high degree of cooperation amongst cooperatives. Strong cooperative networks enable
practitioners in different parts of the world to share learning and best practice.
Democratic member control: members jointly own and govern their cooperatives, and trigger thereby
inclusive development leaving no one behind. This fosters democratic participation and decision-making,favoring a process centered on democratic ownership and concern for the community.

The deliberations will focus on the following questions:•

Cooperative model: How does the cooperative model provide an added value in international development
processes?

•

Sixth principle: why is a collaborative approach in international cooperative development processes a key
factor for success? How can cooperative networks support this?

•Second principle: which opportunities and challenges does the cooperative model provide for local
communities? How to measure the cooperative impact on a local community?

22

COMMITTING TO OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY FOR
STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY
Parallel Session 3.4.
Cooperative Principle #7: Concern for Community emphasizes the cooperative contribution to local
community development, while promoting the economic participation of their members. The cooperativemodel has the potential to play a key role in communities facing various social problems, such as poverty,
inequality and unemployment. It is an excellent model for building circular and autogenous communities bypromoting the revitalization of the regional economy, creating jobs and increasing the social and economic
participation of members in community development. How can this be enhanced to help communities facing
various social issues? How can the cooperative movement help build independent, self-reliant communities
that will reinvest their own knowledge and resources back in the community itself?
Identity is not an entity that resides merely in an individual mind or a cooperator; it is a shared identification
with numerous others whom one will or will not meet, like an imagined community.
The use of discourse, especially in a repeatable, institutionalized form, and shared experience and feelings, canbe taken as the construction of a shared community, and commitment or engagement with it.
This patterning knits the cooperative identity within the community, as cooperative members and families live
in and belong to the community in which the cooperative exists.
Therefore, the community may be strengthened through the cooperative identity, when the members, theirfamilies and the extended community, all stakeholders, are able to flourish.
Inclusiveness in cooperatives can lead to all stakeholders being entitled to respect, dignity and acceptance fromother members and the community at large.
Cooperatives are said to help build civil society, better community relations and social cohesion, strengthening
members’ ability to accomplish things that they can only do with others. Cooperatives can further sustain andgrow voluntary networks of relationships and interdependence.
The 7th cooperative principle Concern for Community has for the first time explicitly highlighted the relation
between the cooperative and its surrounding community, thus becoming more than a community of interest,
however open it may be. This partly derives from the 1st cooperative principle, in as much as cooperative
membership includes past, present, future and potential members present in the community, considering thatcooperatives are normally guided by long-term entrepreneurial strategies which, in turn, tends to stabilize
employment within the cooperative and among supplying and client businesses. This strong relation with thecommunity enshrined in the 7th cooperative principle is enhanced by the 6th cooperative principle Cooperation
among Cooperatives, as more cooperatives join forces in having an impact on the community. Beyond thesemechanisms, the 7th cooperative principle should reflect a vision of having the cooperative strongly embedded
and engaged in the community.

23

COMMITTING TO OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY FOR
FACING CRISES WITH STRENGTH
Parallel Session 3.5.
The COVID-19 pandemic is the best example of how disasters often occur unexpectedly and cause social,health and economic harm. Our open democratic system helps us face and overcome health, social andeconomic crises. Cooperative have repeatedly shown resilience to crises. What have cooperatives done toemerge from this crisis?
Resilience is not just facing adversity and get on with it. Resilience is about building cooperative and sharedsystems that allows us to face a crisis and spring back flourishing again. For that, trust in our cooperative identity
and shared values is essential.
Having built mechanisms or tools to control the worst possible risks can also help. Also, human and solidarity
support, when efforts are done for something that is larger than our individual selves, make a better knit andhopeful community. Is strength about cooperative courage? How do cooperatives prepare in advance and getstronger in the face of a shock, or a crisis?
How do they respond in the aftershock? We know that many donate food, aid, and other humanitarian aid. How
does this related to cooperative identity?
There is public-private – civil society preparedness before any shock may strike. How do cooperatives participate
in such process of preparedness? How do cooperatives members respond, is that linked to their connection tocooperatives and / or the cooperative identity and values?
Cooperatives have, in successive crises in the past, reacted with resilience and proactiveness. Is this happening
again with the COVID crisis and the recovery from it?

24

FOURTH THEME: LIVING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY
Plenary Session 4
The foundation of our identity drives cooperatives to pursue fundamental positive change in our worldsuch as support for the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. As grassroots organisations led bytheir members, cooperatives are working strongly to offer effective approaches to sustainable
development in the communities in which they are rooted. But how are UN global policies being turned
into effective local actions?
The concept of sustainable development enshrined in the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) is linked to the concept of triple-bottom-line, covering economic, social and environmental
concerns. It was first elaborated in the 1990s as an attempt to measure business performance3, arguing thatboth social and environmental bottom-lines make a firm sustainable4. Cooperatives’ type of ownership andcontrol provides a coherent business model with a business perspective that contains the triple-bottom-line.
Cooperatives explicitly have economic and social bottom-lines, as spelt out in the Statement on the Cooperative
Identity, being both associations and enterprises, aimed at meeting the economic and social needs andaspiration of their members, governed by democratic control, supported by information, training and education,
dedicating their results to common reserves reinvested towards the entity’s long-term purpose and to returns
to members based on their transactions with the entity (not on the capital invested), with concern for thesurrounding community, and being inspired by values such as equality, equity, solidarity, social responsibility
and caring for others.
Cooperatives’ fullest contribution to the SDGs requires an adequate policy environment. To this end, thecooperative movement should generate quantitative estimates and qualitative testimonials regarding its
contributions to the SDGs, in order to effectively monitor, measure and assess such contributions over the 20152030 timespan. The UN Agenda 2030 itself provides quantitatively measurable targets, and the UN Statistical
Commission approved in 2017 a revised list of global SDG indicators; annual SDG reports are published andreviewed by the UN High Level Political Forum, and a Global Sustainable Development Report is published every
four years. The cooperative movement should closely follow up and actively participate in this process, anddevelop its own targets and indicators related to the SDGs, communicating progress periodically.

3

John Elkington: Towards the Sustainable Corporation: Win-Win-Win Business Strategies for Sustainable
Development in: California Management Review 36, no. 2 (1994): 90–100
4 Kleindorfer P. et Al.: Sustainable Operations Management in: Production and Operations Management 14 (4),December 2005, pp. 482–492; and Porter M. & Kramer M.: Strategy and Society: The Link between Competitive
Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility; in Harvard Business Review, December 2006.

25

LIVING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY WITHREWARDING JOBS
Parallel Session 4.1.
To maintain the cooperative movement’s vision of fair and ethical economic development to ensure a bright
future and rewarding jobs, more autonomy and active participation for workers, cooperatives must adapt tothe changes brought about by computer systems and AI. They demonstrate a high level of innovation increating new forms of work and working relationships. How will the relationship between unions andcooperatives look like in the future? What lessons can we learn from these new approaches?
This theme corresponds to SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Cooperatives around the world employ or are the main source of income for more than 279 million people,
almost 10% of the total employed population5, without counting the jobs and economic activities that have beencreated through loans granted by credit cooperatives, or through other key inputs provided by insurancecooperatives or electricity cooperatives to millions of producers, nor the indirect jobs generated for providers
and clients.
Very high ratios of cooperative employment are found in some regions like Emilia-Romagna, where it is close to
15% of total employment in that region, distributed in virtually all economic sectors. Emilia-Romagna is one ofthe oldest cooperative clusters in the world and one of the most important industrial districts in Europe, which
has managed to maintain its overall competitiveness. The particularly high level of cooperative employment inthat region bodes well for the employment potential of the cooperative model elsewhere in the world. Gangwon
in South Korea is another example, having reached the ratio of 23% (mainly in agriculture)
Some of the main characteristics of cooperative employment, as per the two successive CICOPA reports on
employment (2014 and 2017), are:•A relatively well-balanced distribution between urban and rural areas (including in sectors other thanagriculture) as well as between large cities and small towns.

•

Cooperative resilience, including in terms of employment, which have been observed during the global crisis
that flared up in 2008. It was found out that such resilience has been reinforced by factors stemming fromthe cooperative system (networks, groups and mutualized business support institutions etc.).

•

A relatively high security of tenure, also impacting on the stability of indirect employment.

•

The wage gap is generally more reduced in cooperatives compared to other types of enterprises, sometimes
posing a challenge in terms of hiring highly qualified managers.

Some cooperatives have been created to support and strengthen economic activities of self-employed producers
or entrepreneurs in the informal economy, through various forms of shared services. Whereas thesecooperatives cannot always provide a stable legal status or formal social protection to their members, they
contribute to raising and stabilising members’ incomes, increasing the performance and competitiveness ofmembers’ business, and making members’ voices heard collectively and leading them gradually towards
formality. Through cooperatives, self-employed producers and entrepreneurs in the informal economy can enjoy
various services which were not available to them due to the small size of their business and lack of applicableformal arrangements. In the debates on the problems in the informal economy related to work and employment,
several categories of workers who are in vulnerable situations have drawn special attention: these include waste
5 Eum HS (2017), Cooperatives and Employment Second Global Report: Brussels: CICOPA

26

pickers, domestic workers, migrant workers, street and market vendors, transport workers, home-based workers
and providers of social services. Cooperatives have played a very important role, in the developing and emerging
economies in particular, in bringing income-generation opportunities to women, especially through women-onlycooperatives.6 Many studies and reports show that shared service cooperatives among workers and producers
can play an important role in organizing, supporting and representing them, by providing them a formal
framework through which their economic activities can be recognised as real businesses and members cannegotiate with public authorities in order to introduce appropriate social security and protection schemes.
The cooperative system has generated a series of non-standard forms of employment that are based on an effort
to implement decent work, such as the status of worker-members in worker cooperatives and social
cooperatives, salaried employment for self-employed in business and employment cooperatives, interim workin labour cooperatives with better working conditions than in average interim agencies, etc.7, which should not
be confused with false cooperatives which are involved in labour intermediation. Cooperatives have been key
innovators in the governance of work, providing members, in the case of worker and producer cooperatives,with the double status of workers or producers and of co-owners of their own enterprises. Multi-stakeholder
cooperatives, a model now expanding rapidly in several countries, make workers and/or producers share thegovernance of the enterprise with other stakeholders such as the users. These models in the governance of work
provide a strong innovative and experimental character to cooperatives, based on members’ participation anddemocratic control.
Cooperatives have shown the necessary flexibility to modify their production in order to remain or insert
themselves in global supply chains provided they receive the appropriate advisory services, while cooperative
groups have often been in a stronger position to internationalize and control larger parts of the chains, allowing
for the creation of new jobs both in the original location of the enterprise and in new ones.8 Fair tradecooperatives are another example of cooperative internationalization, based on value chains.
The ICA 2018 General Assembly in Buenos Aires approved a Declaration on Decent Work and against Harassment
which “towards a more inclusive future of work, defends the basic principles of dignity and equality in the newand emerging forms of employment”. Cooperatives have also been included in the 2019 ILO Centenary
Declaration on the Future of Work.
After the pandemic, workplaces will likely integrate flexibility. How prepared are cooperatives to such changes?
What are the best cases and lessons?

6 Like the SEWA cooperatives, see http://www.sewafederation.org/
7 Eum HS (2017), Cooperatives and Employment Second Global Report: Brussels: CICOPA, p. 66

8 Luzarraga JM La estrategia de multilocalización internacional de la Corporación Mondragon, Ekonomiaz N.º 79, 1st term, 2012,www.ogasun.ejgv.euskadi.eus/r51.../es/.../downloadPDF

27

LIVING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY WITHACCESSIBLE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Parallel Session 4.2.
There are few issues that unite people around the world more than health care and health-related social
services, especially under a global pandemic. Cooperatives have excelled in both fields and offer a uniquealternative to the debate between public and private services. What innovative approaches have been
implemented to face the growing cost of health care? How are cooperatives meeting the growing needs ofboth aging populations and vulnerable people? What might a cooperative program reflecting the future ofcare look like? How can the cooperative movement contribute to making health a priority for all?
This theme corresponds to SDG 3 Good Health and Well Being.
Health and related social services are particularly illustrative of cooperatives’ contribution to the community atlarge and not only to members. The 7th cooperative principle of concern for community acquires a particularly
important place in the case of cooperatives dedicated to health and related social services, which are also closely
linked to the 1st cooperative principle of Voluntary and Open Membership, as many of them are
multistakeholder, reflecting a will to integrate both the patients and the medical personnel into the same
cooperative or cooperative group.
What are the most inspiring cases to share? Can we identify factors, indicators, that can support claims thatthese are inspiring cases, or why?
What will be the most defining trends in the health and social services sector in the next 20 to 30 years? Can weharness the cooperative identity to be part or to lead those trends?
What would be the most important lessons learned in terms of cooperative identity in the past 20 years, for the
21st century?

28

LIVING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY WITH
ENHANCED FOOD SECURITY
Parallel Session 4.3.
The relationship between food production and consumption is being tested in many ways—climate change,
drought, flooding, refugee displacement, and rural depopulation. Particularly acute is the disruption of thechains of production and distribution. This, however, has provided a renewed role to cooperatives engaged inagricultural production. How do cooperatives address new ways to ensure production in food systems? How
does this contribute to building sustainable, ethical and inclusive value chains?
This theme corresponds to SDG 2 Zero Hunger and 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.
In spite of cooperative growth in all sectors of the economy, agricultural cooperatives still remain by far thelargest part of the cooperative movement in terms of members. Given the vital importance of food production
and distribution for the survival of human beings, and cooperatives’ important market shares in many countriesof the world, the pandemic has highlighted problems of global food distribution and therefore security. On theother hand an increasing portion of human beings want organic and natural products.
How does the sector connect to the cooperative identity (definition, values and principles)? In particular to the
1st cooperative principle (particularly voluntary and open membership in a given geographical extension) and the
3rd (particularly surplus redistribution and reserves), as well as the 6th (particularly secondary cooperatives)?
What are the most inspiring cases to share? Can we identify factors, indicators, that can support claims thatthese are inspiring cases, or why?
What will be the most defining trends in food supply by agricultural cooperatives in the next 20 to 30 years? Can
we harness the cooperative identity to be part or to lead those trends?
What would be the most important lessons learned in terms of cooperative identity in connection to foodsecurity in the past 20 years, for the 21st century?

29

LIVING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY WITH
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ENERGY
Parallel Session 4.4.
There is a close relationship between affordable energy and affordable housing at all levels of society.
Cooperatives serve their members more effectively by sharing their skills and knowledge, and housing andenergy cooperatives can make a huge difference. What innovations result from partnerships between housing
cooperatives and energy cooperatives? How can we promote these ways of doing things?
This theme corresponds to SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy and 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.
How do the housing and energy sectors sector connect to the cooperative identity (definition, values andprinciples), and in particular with the 7th principle, in particular its sustainable development component, and thedefinition (needs and aspirations)?
What are the most inspiring cases to share? Can we identify factors, indicators, that can support claims thatthese are inspiring cases, or why?
What will be the most defining trends in the housing and energy sector in the next 20 to 30 years? Can weharness the cooperative identity to be part or to lead those trends?
What would be the most important lessons learned in terms of cooperative identity in connexion to housing andenergy in the past 20 years, for the 21st century?

30

LIVING OUR COOPERATIVE IDENTITY WITHINTHE SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY
Parallel Session 4.5.
Cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy actors working with local governments in delivering
services within society constitute an engine to improve local and territorial development. It is recognized thatthe social and solidarity economy (SSE) create wealth in urban and rural areas and contributes to sustainablelocal and territorial development. What are the best practices in such partnerships? How do we develop
policies and programs that are favourable to the social and solidarity economy?
This theme corresponds to SDG 17 partnerships.
Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) is a concept that encompasses organizations and enterprises that have
explicit economic and social (and often environmental) objectives. SSE includes cooperatives, mutual
associations, women's self-help groups, community forestry groups, social provisioning organizations or'proximity services', fair trade organizations, associations of informal sector workers, social enterprises, andcommunity currency and alternative finance schemes.
SSE is an important pathway to transforming the world for the better and is a critical driver in achieving the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is present in all sectors of the economy ranging from production tofinance, including distribution, exchange, consumption, and governance.
At national level, it is observed that a growing number of countries are adopting actions to advance SSE throughpolicy frameworks. In the last decades, several countries have adopted policy and legal frameworks on SSE, suchas France, Portugal, Mexico, Philippines, Spain, Mali, Ecuador, Djibouti, Uruguay, Brazil, and Canada (Quebec
province). Ministries or departments of cooperatives and SSE have been established in Colombia, France, theRepublic of Korea, Spain, Luxembourg. National and local SSE programs have been launched in India, Nicaragua,
the Republic of Korea, Spain, Colombia, and Uganda. Policies are being developed and adopted in Italy, Sri Lanka,
Egypt, Tanzania, occupied Palestinian territories, Ghana, Cameroon, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, andTunisia. Moreover, the growing interest in SSE is reflected in recent texts adopted in international fora.
The 2021 UN Secretary-General Report on ‘socially just transition towards sustainable development’ recognizes
SSE as anr alternative model of growth, aimed at finding a new balance between economic efficiency and socialand environmental resilience. The ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work, adopted in June 2019, calls
for promoting an enabling environment including for the SSE. The Governing Body of the ILO placed on theagenda for the 110th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in 2022 an item related to “Social andSolidarity Economy (SSE) for a human-centred future of work” for general discussion. This is a promising step
towards advancing the international debate on SSE and recognizing the role of SSE in promoting decent work.
Meanwhile, the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) is leading a process ofsubmitting a UN Resolution on SSE through the support of the key governments during the UN General Assemblyin September 2021. A resolution on SSE would allow a focused exchange with member States, guiding UN
agencies on priority areas of work on SSE and documenting its contributions to sustainable development. It
would contribute to improved policy making and implementation, particularly in countries and societies farthest
behind, leading to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and realizing the SDGs. In support ofthe proposed UN resolution on SSE, ICA published a position paper entitled “cooperatives as a key constituentof the social and solidarity economy”.
The ICA is establishing an international SSE Coalition together with other global SSE actors, namely GSEF, SSEIF
AIM and ICMIF, with a Charter which singles out the SSE’s main characteristics. As we can see below, these covera significant part of the Statement on the Cooperative Identity.
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Statement on the Cooperative Identity
Definition: a cooperative is “an autonomous association of
persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic,
social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly
owned and democratically controlled enterprise”
Values: cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility,
democracy, equality, equity and solidarity; as well as ethicalvalues of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring
for others
1st principle Voluntary and open membership: Cooperatives
are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use
their services and willing to accept the responsibilities ofmembership, without gender, social, racial, political or
religious discrimination
2nd principle democratic member control: Cooperatives aredemocratic organizations controlled by their members, who
actively participate in setting their policies and making
decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives
are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives
members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) andcooperatives at other levels are also organized in a democraticmanner
3rd principle Member economic participation: Members
contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capitalof their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually thecommon property of the cooperative.
Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on
capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members
allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes:
developing their cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves,part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members
in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; andsupporting other activities approved by the membership
4th principle Autonomy and independence: Cooperatives areautonomous, self-help organizations controlled by theirmembers. If they enter into agreements with otherorganizations, including governments, or raise capital fromexternal sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic
control by their members and maintain their cooperativeautonomy
5th principle Education, training and information: Cooperatives
provide education and training for their members, elected
representatives, managers, and employees so they cancontribute effectively to the development of theircooperatives. They inform the general public - particularly
young people and opinion leaders - about the nature andbenefits of cooperation
6th principle Cooperation among cooperatives: Cooperatives
serve their members most effectively and strengthen thecooperative movement by working together through local,
national, regional and international structures
7th principle Concern for community: Cooperatives work for thesustainable development of their communities throughpolicies approved by their members

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Characteristics of SSE as per the SSE Coalition Charter
Primacy of the person and the social mission over capital;-

Protection of common or joint ownership;
Defense and implementation of the values of solidarity andresponsibility;

Voluntary and open membership;

Democratic control by members

Limited distribution of surpluses by the reinvestment of thesurplus: surpluses are intended primarily to strengthen thesustainability and development of the business project(strengthening of common capital, investments, discounts formembers, experimentation, social innovation, sustainable
development, etc.)
Autonomy of management and independence from publicauthorities;

Conjunction of the interests of members, the common interestof communities and the general interest;