In July, your Neighboring Food Co-ops joined Co-operators from around the world for the ICA General Assembly in Manchester, UK, and celebrated International Co-ops Day in Rochdale, home of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.
“It was an honor to represent our co-ops at this global gathering at an important time for our movement,” said Erbin Crowell, Executive Director of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association, who represented the National Cooperative Business Association at the General Assembly of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). “If our history has shown us anything, it is that when our communities face extreme inequality, division, and uncertainty, the co-operative movement has offered an alternative that empowers people meet their shared needs and aspirations through our shared Values and Principles. But we also know that making a difference locally means working together internationally.”
More than 400 delegates attended the Assembly, where representatives approved a strategic plan presented by Jeroen Douglas, Director General of the ICA. “Everything we do starts with our Statement on the Co-operative Identity,” said Douglas. “It’s a bold strategy but we’re one billion members so we need to be bold and self-confident.”
Key initiatives within the plan include championing the co-op advantage, prioritizing women and youth in leadership, enabling training and education, increasing co-operative advocacy, driving sustainability, and funding co-operative development.
Many side events during the week focused on raising public awareness, supporting business success, and influencing policy, including a symposium on co-operative law. In his role as chair of the Board of Directors of DotCooperation participated in several important dialogs such as the International Cooperative Entrepreneurship Think Tank (ICETT), which was created in 2018 to foster collaboration and peer-to-peer learning among large co-ops and co-operative groups in leveraging the Co-operative Identity. He also contributed to a presentation by the Cooperative Identity Advisory Group, which has been leading a global dialog on the relevance of the Values and Principles of our movement to contemporary challenges and opportunities. And at the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, he participated in a meeting of the ICA Cooperative Cultural Heritage Working Group, which seeks to identify, protect, and promote historic and educational sites related to the global co-operative movement.
A highlight of the trip was celebrating International Co-ops Day on July 5 with co-operators from around the world at the Co-operatives UK Congress in Rochdale, where ICA President Ariel Guarco addressed the gathering.
“We are not simple enterprises, we are communities of people, millions of us, working collectively for mutual benefit, for meaningful impact at the local level, and for lasting transformation on a global scale,” said Guarco. “Dear friends, in a world that is turning inward, let us look outward. In a world that is growing more cynical, let us remain hopeful. And in a world where democracy is in retreat, let us be its most steadfast champions. Let us move forward with clarity, with conviction, and with courage.”
Guarco’s comments echoed the theme for International Co-ops Day, “Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Solutions for a Better World,” which builds on the priorities of the International Year of Co-operatives in 2025. Focused on the contribution of co-ops to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year of Co-operatives is both an invitation to shine a light on the contributions of co-ops to a more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable future, and a challenge to do more to contribute to efforts to build a better world for everyone.
For more information on the International Year of Cooperatives, visit https://nfca.coop/IYC