REPORT ON THE 33RDWORLD COOPERATIVE CONGRESS
OF THE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE ALLIANCE
BY ANN HOYT

Over 1600 cooperators (1000 in-person and 600 online) participated in the 33 rd World
Cooperative Congress of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in December of 2021. The
Congress was held in Seoul, South Korea in cooperation with the Metropolitan Government of
the City of Seoul and the ICA members in Korea. It provided an opportunity for participants toreflect on the common identity of cooperative businesses as articulated in the internationallyaccepted Statement of Cooperative Identity. The Statement defines the unique nature ofcooperatives and articulates the values and principles that are the foundation of the cooperative
movement. Goals of the Congress were to explore the extent to which cooperatives meet the
expectations described in the Statement, and to consider the continuing relevance of theStatement given current global crises.
Presentations addressed a wide variety of topics to illustrate how cooperatives in different
countries and different sectors demonstrate their cooperative identity. Day in and day out
cooperatives provide their members and their communities goods, services, and employment
opportunities that are designed to improve their lives. Congress presenters described housing
co-ops working to convert to clean energy, food and agriculture co-ops building ethical value
chains, healthcare co-ops addressing the challenges of the Covid pandemic, and many more. It
soon became clear that the definition, values and principles articulated in the Statement of Our
Cooperative Identity are alive and thriving throughout the world.1
Under the Congress theme, “Deepening our Cooperative Identity” over 200 experts
described how their cooperatives are meeting the expectations of the cooperative identity,
identified challenges they face as cooperatives and identified ways cooperatives can meetthose challenges. The discussions were centered around four sub-themes related to examining,
strengthening, committing to, and living the cooperative identity. This remarkable discussion
was informed by a document produced by the International Cooperative Alliance in 2021,“Examining Our Cooperative Identity.” That paper follows an earlier document, “Guidance Notes
to the Cooperative Principles” published in 2015.

Examining our Cooperative Identity
To explore how cooperatives bring their values and principles to life, presenters considered
their advertising, governance, education, heritage and partnerships with governments. In termsof the cooperative values of democracy, equality, equity and solidarity, speakers provided
examples of specific practices that met all the values in addition to the first, second and seventh
principles. However, it was noted that cooperative governance is not always as inclusive,
diverse, or equitable as it could be, particularly for women, youth, people of color andmarginalized communities. The absence of inclusive governance negatively impacts both thesocial and business dimensions of cooperatives.
Presenters in another session assessed the value of the cooperative brand and marqueand described its use to communicate the unique nature of the cooperative business model,
and to develop trust in cooperatives. Worldwide use of the COOP Marque was encouraged tocommunicate the values and principles of the global cooperative movement.

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A complete record of the proceedings of the Congress can be found athttps://icaworldcoopcongress.coop/stories/.

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Cooperative leaders stressed the importance of education for members, directors, staff, andparticularly the general public. They described a wide variety of educational programs thatprovide the necessary competence, knowledge, and skills needed to effectively manage andgovern cooperatives. Even so, they agreed that “cooperatives are missing from the general[public] discourse” and emphasized the importance of working closely with educational
institutions and governments to provide programming, financial resources, and opportunities todevelop and support cooperatives. This is especially important when it comes to preserving thecultural heritage of local cooperatives and their communities.

Strengthening our Cooperative Identity
While outstanding examples throughout the Congress showed time and again the resilienceof the cooperative model and the strength of our cooperative identity, much can still be done tostrengthen the model. Five presenters discussed the opportunities cooperatives have to takeadvantage of the Digital Age, support ethical value chains, encourage entrepreneurial
innovation and networks, and meet future capital needs. They stressed the importance ofidentifying not only the needs of current members, but also the needs of marginalized
community members. This is especially true for consumer cooperatives who have madesignificant progress in developing ethical value chains from producer to consumer. These
chains focus on reducing labor exploitation, protect the environment and contribute tosustainable development.
There were several vivid descriptions of the significant value that individual cooperatives
received from participating in strong cooperative networks in accordance with Principle 6.
Examples included locally based employment networks that provide tangible results for
hundreds of thousands of members in terms of increased and stable incomes, financial
services, social protection, and access to essential consumer goods. It was also noted thatcooperation among cooperatives has been crucial to the “strong power and influence” thecooperative movement has at the international level. To support development and sustainability
for cooperative networks cooperative development, social and entrepreneurial training, andcapacity building are needed as well as funding to support these activities.
The digital world offers significant opportunities to improve products, services, efficiency,
and expansion of the cooperative movement. However, to achieve these benefits thecooperative movement needs to operationalize the sixth cooperative principle to develop its own
digital infrastructure based on shared and open interoperability standards. New forms oftechnology offer opportunities for new co-ops if we are ready to take advantage of them. In
addition, a cooperative digital infrastructure can collect information on and verification ofcooperatives’ performance on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While a number of new financing opportunities have become available to cooperatives, newchallenges and technologies require new methods to access to capital sources. These
challenges can be met with more and better cooperation between cooperative financial
institutions and other cooperative sectors.
This is especially true for partnerships between financial institutions that have funds
available and agricultural enterprises that need both short and long-term funding and to takeadvantage of new digitalization opportunities. Principle 6 plays an important role here sincecreating a digital payment platform is very expensive for a primary co-op. When equity may besmall in primary cooperatives, the high cost of financing can be afforded when cooperatives
work together in strong federations that pool their resources and work with cooperative banks3and credit unions to develop effective financial instruments. It is also important to provide
significant technical assistance to small producer cooperatives as well as funding.

Committing to Our Cooperative Identity
The third group of Congress sessions focused on cooperative solutions to addressing the
major issues of our times. These included climate change, peace, economic development,sustainable communities and crisis management.
Congress participants learned of cooperative efforts to address climate change in Brazil,
Japan, Ethiopia, India, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. In all cases there was anemphasis on multilateralism, cooperation among cooperatives, and the important role women
play in climate change efforts. Particularly in developing countries cooperatives have been
critical leaders in tackling climate change because they are a large part of the business
community. Examples of climate change efforts included small farmer co-ops working to stop
deforestation by preserving large portions of their land; Indian coops developing forestry on
wastelands, capacity building in forestry cooperatives and introducing fastgrowing tree species.
In Ethiopia the Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union uses women ambassadors to train
community women to use renewable energy sources such as solar panels. In Japan theJapanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union with nearly 30 million members has run numerous
climatefriendly campaigns from charging for plastic bags to promoting feed-in tariffs forrenewable energy and in the Dominican Republic Cooperativa Vega Real has also introduced
green schools, will plant 10,000 trees, has organised ecological clean-ups and created the first
Dominican eco-park.
In terms of peace, panelists discussed several ways to address factors that disrupt peace.
As one panelist described it, “peace can be seen as the pursuit of social justice through equal
opportunities, fair distribution of power and material resources, and the equal protection of
everybody.” Panelists gave several examples of cooperative action that contributed to peace
during armed conflict. In Nepal cooperatives provided easy access to finance for economic
activities and self-employment during the 12 years of conflict there. In Columbia 72% of thevictims of conflict were women. Cooperatives there have worked to provide security for womenby providing jobs, equal economic participation, and access to land and leadership
opportunities. In many places cooperatives have been able to continue their services because
they are managed by local leaders and community people, and they are guided by their valuesof equity, equality and solidarity and Principles 6 and 7.
Throughout the world cooperatives are engaged in economic development among
marginalized communities by promoting self-help and solidarity at an international level.
Panelists described a new economic paradigm in international development that is less directedby donors in a top-down way. They find more ways to strengthen communities by creating peerto-peer cooperative and collaborative opportunities between cooperatives in developed
countries with those in less developed countries. Ethical food chains supported by producers,
distributors and consumers are an example of the new paradigm. Examples were also given ofcooperative development organizations cooperating with other actors in the social and solidarity
economy through international organizations, particularly the ILO.
Cooperatives can and are playing an important role in achievement of the United Nations’sustainable development goals.

4Many of the Congress sessions provided case studies related to specific topics. Four
examples were provided of ways cooperatives are expressing Principle 6. In Spain the
Mondragon cooperatives have a long history of developing an economy based on small
cooperatives in collaboration that foster technological innovation. They support social cohesion
and equality that provides social and economic value. In Korea the Social Economy Center ofGyeonggi province works closely with the province’s rural school and social cooperatives. They
have established hospital services, driven the transition to sustainable food, and fostered theregion’s first citizen-owned solar energy plant. In addition, housing cooperatives are being
created in response to growing difficulties in the housing market.
Among the Inuit communities in northern Canada 14 Inuit cooperatives with over 11,000
members are active in hospitality and tourism, the arts, construction, retail sales. Cooperativevalues, especially collaboration and autonomy are in harmony with Inuit values. In Japan theJapan Cooperative Alliance is working with a broad array of cooperatives to address declining
birth rates, shrinking populations and inequality, all of which threaten the existence ofcommunities. Principle 6 has been crucial to success in these efforts. Examples included
student cooperatives working with agricultural cooperatives to provide food and work
opportunities.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been felt throughout the international cooperative movement.
Six conference presenters were asked to describe ways they responded to the crisis. Overall,they felt cooperatives were able to respond in ways that governments and public enterprises
could not. Research conducted by the World Cooperative Monitor found co-ops had provided
direct emergency services for members and their communities and encouraged business
innovations to deal with the crisis. In Japan local cooperatives and community members wereconnected to a central resource that could respond to their needs. Cooperatives in India
provided oxygen to their members and their communities. Spanish cooperatives developed an
innovative way to provide personal health care for the elderly. In Korea despite rising costs,
cooperatives and social economy enterprises worked in solidarity to raise funds to protect jobs
both for employees and producers in the supply chain.

Living Our Cooperative Identity
On the last day of the Congress presenters focused on employment, food security, healthcare, housing, energy, and multilateral cooperation with organizations that are part or the Socialand Solidarity Economy (SSE).*2 They emphasized cooperatives’ effective approaches to meet
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They attributed much of thissuccess to their ethical character, democratic structure, and value-based operations.
Cooperatives that have been successful in creating rewarding jobs stressed the importanceof organizing community members around common needs, building capacity by providing
continuous training in operations, leadership, and cooperative values, and ensuring access to
2 The social andsolidarity economy refers the production and exchange of goods and services by a broad range oforganizations and enterprises that pursue explicit social and/or environmental objectives. They ae guided by the principles
and practices of cooperation solidarity, ethics and democratic self-management, among others, ad can take the form ofcooperatives, mutuals, social enterprises, self-help groups or community associations, among others.

5investment finance. The high value of belonging to a cooperative federation and developing
strong connections to SSE organizations was clear as was the importance of attracting youth tocooperative businesses. As one presenter said, “It is very hard to emerge from poverty without
the collective strength, enhanced bargaining power and voice and representation offered bycooperatives.”
In terms of health, cooperative identity is closely linked with the flexibility and ability ofhealthcare cooperatives to adapt to new health needs. As seen during the Covid-19 pandemic,
these co-ops can adapt quickly to changing economic, social, and political conditions. The
cooperative model is well suited to private-public collaboration among actors in the healthsector. Equally important are the contributions cooperatives can make to enhanced foodsecurity. The unique connections that can be and have been developed between cooperative
agricultural producers and consumers have begun to transform the ways of producing,supplying and consuming food. This ability of cooperatives to collaborate and innovate acrosseconomic activities is particularly important when chains of food production and distribution are
disrupted by climate disasters, rural depopulation, war, and refugee displacement.
Several presenters gathered in a session to discuss the equally effective and uniqueadvantages housing cooperatives have when addressing energy cost issues. In Belgium arenewable energy cooperative was formed to decentralize energy production in housing andother developments. In addition to providing clean energy, the cooperative keeps profits local
and ensures that they are invested back in the community. In Canada a housing co-op works
with a hydroponic indoor urban farm. The collaboration supports indoor farming and heatcapture. Other co-ops have worked to modernize their heating systems, install solar panels, anencourage their members to adopt energy reduction lifestyles. Cost savings for these middle
and lower income co-ops have been substantial.
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The final session on Living our Identity focused on the importance for cooperatives to workwith SSEs to more effectively meet common challenges of environmental degradation andwidening social inequality. In the face of the many social, economic, and ecological issues
facing the world, presenters agreed that the present paradigm is not working and stressed the
crucial role cooperatives can have in transforming the current economic model if theycollaborate with other actors in the SSE.

Congress Themes
While the Congress was organized around sessions that addressed specific topics anddescribed specific cooperative activities, consistent themes wove through the discussions. First,
and most importantly, presenters and attendees enthusiastically embraced the definition, values
and principles that embody the Cooperative Identity. That identity is the combination of
fundamental moral and ethical values and principles that guides all cooperators when they needto make difficult decisions. It embodies our essence as ethical, people-focused, locally-based
and democratically controlled enterprises with a true social purpose. Scores of examples gave
evidence that cooperatives are committed to and living their principles and values every day
throughout the world and in many ways are leading change that is needed for our survival.
At the same time, our world is changing at a rapid pace in ways that challenge ourfundamental ways of life. Those changes led Congress participants to reflect on the need toreflect on the Statement of Our Cooperative Identity and consider ways to update and interpretit given the demands of an increasingly globalized society, an ecologically threatened world anda vast gap in the wealth and security of the world’s population.
Specific themes focused on challenges currently facing the international cooperative
movement. They included climate change, sustainability, inclusivity, new technologies, capital
resources, ethical value chains, work life, organizational collaborations, positive peace,multilateralism, and research, training, and education and are described below.

Climate change
Climate change has had and will continue to have a significant impact on cooperatives,
their members, and their communities. It has deepened the difficulty of vulnerable groups who
cannot meet basic needs.

Covid-19 Pandemic“The pandemic has confronted us with the brutal reality of growing inequalities in oursocieties, the acute vulnerabilities and even structural injustice that we have failed to prevent or
to mitigate. People across the globe want and need a recovery that leads to a resilient,sustainable, fairer, and better future.” The cooperative identity is closely linked with the flexibility
and ability of healthcare cooperatives to adapt to new health needs. These co-ops can adapt
quickly to changing economic, social, and political conditions. The cooperative model is well
suited to private-public collaboration among actors in the health sector in the common interest.

Inclusivity
Inclusivity applies most strongly to equity and equity for women, youth, and marginalizedgroups. It also applies to our members, our boards of directors, our employees, and ourvendors. It is tied to our values of solidarity, equity, equality, and participation. The vast appealof cooperatives throughout the world shows that women, youth, people of different races andethnic groups can participate.

New Technologies and Digital Transformation
Use of new technologies can increase member participation in expressing their unmet
needs, in voting and in economic participation and can provide metrics that accurately andinclusively measure the tangible ad intangible impacts that cooperatives have on major crises.
Widespread collaboration among cooperatives is necessary to aggregate the financial
resources to develop a cooperatively owned and controlled digital infrastructure. The
cooperative community lacks its own digital infrastructure which prevents cooperatives frombeing competitive in a competitive world.

CapitalCapital availability remains a significant issue for new and expanding cooperatives. We
need a stronger capital base and new funding resources through partnerships. To meet theneed for capital, cooperatives need to position themselves as collaborators to help funders meettheir goals.

Ethical Value ChainsTo develop a network of trusted and respected companies who share common values
requires increased mandatory due diligence, rethinking of business models, increased
recognition of the role of financial actors and the use of traceability or chain of custody tools.

7Ethical value chains require extended responsibility and self-commitment by all actors andcooperatives have become among the frontrunners by operationalizing their principles, values,and ethics.

Work Life
Consider the future of work as person-centered, available for all with no forced or childlabor, and providing opportunities to participate in the digital economy. This requiresconsideration of how we produce and consume, adopt new technologies, create new
ecosystems, prevent conflicts, and assure peaceful coexistence. “People across the globe want
and need a recovery that leads to a resilient, sustainable, fairer and better future.”

Education and Training
We have new opportunities and increased needs for culturally relevant education andtraining regarding our cooperative identity in a variety of formats. Education is criticallyimportant to deepening the cooperative identity and furthering wider cooperative aims. The
cooperative movement must broaden its scope to reach more people, particularly youth, and toeducate cooperative leaders on how to run co-ops according to the values and principles.

Cultural Heritage
Because of their deep integration into local communities, cooperatives have a unique
opportunity to preserve the diverse culture heritages of those communities. This should be a
key component of sustainable development.

Multilateralism
In the face of the many social, economic, and ecological issues facing the world, thepresent social and economic paradigm is not working. Cooperatives can play a crucial intransforming the current economic model if they collaborate with other actors in the SSE andgovernment. Cooperatives need to work with SSEs to more effectively meet our common
challenges of environmental degradation and widening social inequality.

Sustainable Development
Cooperatives are uniquely suited to implement the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals. The transition to sustainable development begins with the foundation of
education and the formation of a new globally sustainable consciousness.

Recommendations for Action expressed during the Congress
The Cooperative Identity
Preserve its core elements when innovating and changing. The cooperative model is useful,is valuable and we need to adapt it to our times.
Cooperators should remember their responsibility to “guard our cooperatives’ identity,” andany suggested changes to it should be carefully considered, debated and desired by thecooperative members from all regions and all sectors on a global scale.

8The declaration on cooperative identity should engage more concretely with global
challenges such a climate change.

ClimatePut more emphasis on climate change in relation to the Statement on Cooperative Identity.
To provide access to clean energy, the international cooperative movement should support
creation of cooperatives to implement and maintain solar panels in developing countries.

Inclusivity
Ensure all key cooperative movement stakeholders have a greater understanding ofdiversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within our shared cooperative identity. It has been proposed
to develop a new principle about inclusion and equity.
Consider the resolution proposed by NCBA CLUSA at the Kigali Conference in 2019 that
DEI be better expressed through the cooperative values and principles and cooperative
movement practices.
Work toward a shared understanding on concrete actions cooperatives can take to foster
more equity and equality in their cooperatives and their communities.

The Cooperative Brand
Increase the brand’s visibility and use. Show how we add value and promote campaigns formore support and understanding from consumers.
Align with consumers social, environmental, and cultural identities. Ensure that the brand isa reflection of the co-op identity with its values and principles that unifies the global cooperative
movement.

Legislation
Foster legislation and government policies that recognize co-ops, new forms of co-ops, andco-op partnerships with non-co-ops.
Actively fight against anti-cooperative legislation.

Research
Gather data on cooperative activities linked to the SDGs as well as reflect and integrate
cooperative specific drivers and enablers.
Develop specific targets and relevant metrics to demonstrate the sector’s contribution to the
SDGs.
Develop a cooperative model of interpreting and measuring social impact based on ourvalues and principles.

Multilateralism
Join the SDG 8.7 Alliance, as well as forced labor and child labor platforms where partners
are working together to fight against these practices.

Ethical food chain
Engage in supporting farmers and primary cooperative societies to gain certifications,training, secure decent compensation, and safe workplaces for farmers and increasetransparency in pricing.

Sustainable development
Ensure that co-ops are recognized as indispensable actors in the pursuit of sustainable
development and call for more inter-cooperation in this area.

9Support the fifth SDG by educating families and communities on equality and democracy
and to eliminate discrimination and violence from our coops, including socio-economic violence.

CapitalProvide new access to dedicated funding, capacity building, and technical assistance forcoops to meet challenges arising from innovation, digital transformation and developing resilient
production systems.

Cultural Heritage
Map the current role of co-ops in the cultural heritage and creative sectors andMake a cooperative contribution at UNESCO’s 2022 second Mondiacult World Conferencein Mexico.
Prepare a toolkit including legal and management guidelines that artists and creators canuse to create cooperatives in the culture sector and distribute it through UNESCO as partners.
Create a Task Force comprised of cooperators as well as external experts to make cultural
heritage a matter of constant attention for the cooperative movement.
ICA should apply to be an advisor to the UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural
Heritage 2003 and UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, 2005.
Develop a compendium of cultural cooperatives to gather data and develop cooperative
cultural understanding.

Digital Infrastructure
Translate the cooperative identity into cooperate information systems built on digital
infrastructures called interoperability standards.
The ICA/ITO should be supported by all parties and all means.
The ICA and its sectoral organizations should facilitate greater intermember and crosssectoral exchange between members.

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