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~ Welcome to the daily newsletter of #coopconference19,
the ICA global conference! ~

Thursday 17 October 2019

Welcome to the final day in Kigali – we hope that you enjoyed yesterday's sessions! In the morning Plenaries we heard how cooperatives contribute to decent work and have an important role to play throughout value chains, not just at the production point as it is widely assumed.

The afternoon parallel sessions looked at how cooperatives work in development, particularly through contributing to food security and sustainable production and consumption, reducing inequalities through health, industrial and services cooperatives, and their work in housing and energy.

And we hope you will join us in congratulating Byeong-won Kim and Howard Brodsky who both received the Rochdale Pioneers Award during the conference gala dinner last night!

Read more: Plenary III – How are coops making a difference to the world of work?
Read more: Plenary IV – The importance of cooperatives in value chains

The second full day

Wednesday was a great day to learn new things and have insightful conversations with fellow cooperators in Kigali – and the evening gala dinner and awards ceremony was a true celebration of cooperation in all of its different forms!

Click here for more images from the second full day and gala dinner

Parallel sessions

During the Cooperatives for Development Conference, a series of parallel sessions organised by ICA sectorial organisations to show the specificities of cooperatives in different sectors on how they play a role in development. The sessions on Wednesday covered three areas: food security in the context of sustainable production and consumption; how health, industrial and services cooperatives contribute to reducing inequalities; and the role of the cooperative model in housing and energy.

Read more: What happened in the parallel sessions?

Gala dinner and Rochdale Pioneers Awards

Congratulations to Howard Brodsky of CCA Global Partners (third from left) and Byeong-won Kim, of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) of the Republic of Korea (third from right), who were both recognised at the Rochdale Pioneers Awards! The ceremony took place at the ICA Global Conference gala dinner on Wednesday 16 October.

Cooperative research and development

Research and development is an important part of the work of cooperatives. Ahead of the main conference, Kigali hosted the third meeting of the International Cooperative Development Platform (ICDP), bringing together cooperative organisations active in International Development from across the globe to generate collaboration and strengthen the links between agencies.

On 16 October, the Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC) shared a research study which found that cooperative members in Kenya, Philippines and Poland are in better economic situations than non-members. And delegates also looked at ways to re-energise the Committee on Cooperative Research’s Africa network, where both researchers and cooperative movement leaders sought to identify a future agenda for collaboration between the research community and the cooperative movement in Africa.

Read more: Research and development as central pillars of cooperation

Let’s celebrate World Values Day

Today (17 October) is World Values Day. An annual campaign to increase the awareness and practice of values around the world, the day is also an opportunity for coops to shout about their values. During the International Conference, we have heard how the values of cooperatives underpin everything that our businesses do – there is a lot to shout about!

Cooperatives across the world can join the conversation and help promote the movement online through the hashtag #WorldValuesDay.

Read more: World Values Day – an opportunity for cooperatives to join the debate

IFFCO and ICA Africa sign memorandum of understanding

India-based IFFCO, the largest agricultural cooperative in the world, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the International Cooperative Alliance – Africa (ICA Africa), promising to work together to help train members in cooperative practices.

The event took place at a dinner hosted by IFFCO during the ICA International Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, on Tuesday 15 October. The MOU emphasises cooperation among cooperatives, and promises to promote new agri-input products field trials to the benefit of both.

Read more: IFFCO and ICA Africa agree MOU to empower farmers

What is happening today?

The final day of the conference will begin with a plenary session on the contributions of coops to peace and equality, with a focus on positive peace and examples from around the world. Moderated by Martin Lowery (Chair of the ICA Cooperative Identity Committee), the panel will be composed of Claudia Sanchez Bajo (the University of Buenos Aires), Jean-Louis Bancel (President of Cooperatives Europe) and Om Devi Malla (ICA Board member from the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal).

Delegates will also hear about the important part that coops have played in peace-building in Rwanda. You will hear more about this from James Karangwa from Rwandan rice cooperative Coproliz-ntende and Dr Monique Nsanzabagangwa, vice governor of the Bank of Rwanda, wraps up on Rwanda's experience.

For the final session, a panel of speakers will be asked to summarise discussions held over the course of the conference, and to elaborate policy recommendations - and then from 14:00, during the General Assembly of the International Cooperative Alliance the new strategic plan for the next cooperative decade will be shaped.

Find the full conference programme online here

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This newsletter is created in partnership between the
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Co-operative News.

This newsletter is created in partnership between the
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Co-operative News.