We were thrilled to join 3,000 of our co-op colleagues representing 107 countries in New Delhi, India last month for the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)’s Global Cooperative Conference. The U.S. delegation stood proud, led by our Board Chair Esteban Kelly and five other directors: Erbin Crowell, Anne Fedorchak, Juan Fernandez, LaDonna Sanders Redmond and Michelle Schry. As two members of this 20-person U.S. delegation, we wanted to share a few reflections.
First, not only in the U.S., but around the world, co-ops are as relevant as ever. As people-centered businesses, they build community and contribute to a more resilient, inclusive and equitable society. At the conference, heads of state including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, along with cooperative leaders from across the globe, echoed this message. These leaders agreed that co-ops have a greater role to play in ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to participate in today’s economy and benefit from the resilience and stability cooperatives provide in the face of a turbulent economy and environment.
During an armchair conversation with ICA President Ariel Guarco, Martin Lowery (a former NCBA CLUSA board chair and former member of ICA’s board), said cooperation is a pathway to full participation in today’s economy. Pointing to the need to advance cooperative development to meet community needs, Camila Pineiro, Cooperative Development Specialist at NCBA CLUSA, participated in an international group of co-op development organizations working to amplify and accelerate co-op development across the globe.
Another theme that emerged during the week is the opportunity to embrace our cooperative identity—the principles and values that unite our global movement. Education, in particular (Principle #5), emerged as a critical conduit to prepare young people to support and sustain the movement going forward. During a plenary, Kelly urged fellow cooperators to center the next generation of cooperators, pointing to the fact that the future of the cooperative movement is in their hands.
Kirstie Boyette, Associate Director of the Cooperative Development Foundation, facilitated an innovative program designed to tap into the ingenuity of young co-op leaders called a Coopathon. With the potential to deliver transformative change economically, socially, culturally and environmentally, cooperatives must continually adapt to varying situations while staying rooted in the context of their purpose and identity. The Coopathon, a collaborative event created by and for the next generation of cooperative leaders, provided an opportunity for participants to operationalize the co-op identity as they brainstormed solutions for global challenges that promoted solidarity, resilience and sustainable development within the cooperative movement. The event was a reminder that democratization, co-creation of value and solidarity are integral to cooperatives building a better world.
Another common refrain among participants is the need for greater understanding of the power of cooperatives in their home countries—particularly among policymakers. Erbin Crowell, an NCBA CLUSA board director and a member of ICA’s Cooperative Identity Working Group, participated in a panel lifting up the need for people to embrace and live out the Statement on Cooperative Identity—the definition, values and principles of cooperatives. “Cooperatives have built up trust over generations and insist [that our] identity is actively upheld by the law,” Crowell said. At the General Assembly, the members of ICA approved recommendations from the working group urging the ICA member to: 1) Articulate the Co-op Identity, 2) Live out the Cooperative Identity, 3) Communicate the Cooperative Identity, and 3) Protect our Cooperative Identity. Importantly, the members of the General Assembly also approved the board’s recommendation that ICA hold a future congress to consider potential changes to the Statement on Cooperative Identity.
In a plenary, Doug O’Brien, one of the authors of this column and a member of ICA’s Board of Directors, shared with the audience how NCBA CLUSA acts on the cooperative identity through advocacy, public awareness, thought leadership and cooperative development. Val Roach, also an author of this column, led the delegation in the voting process during the General Assembly and observed the importance of open dialogue to ensure solidarity and understanding of the cooperative identity, as well as the power the global cooperative movement holds.
One of the most express ways that people can better grasp the power of cooperatives is to simply have a better understanding of where other cooperatives are located in their community or region. During the conference, DotCoop unveiled the new Cooperative World Map, an interactive and dynamic digital map that aspires to unite and showcase all cooperative entities in the world. Already, more than 15,000 cooperatives in the U.S. are searchable on the map. This map serves as a foundation for cooperatives to work together in commerce, advocacy and cooperative development. Cooperatives can be included on the map by 1.) becoming a member of NCBA CLUSA, or 2) getting a .coop domain.
Finally, the events in New Delhi made clear the opportunity that the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) presents to both increase the relevancy of cooperatives and to ensure more people understand and live out their cooperative identity. The conference concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Action Agenda that focuses on four key pillars: reaffirming the cooperative identity, enabling supporting policies, developing strong leadership and building a sustainable future.
By adopting this resolution ahead of IYC, leaders from around the world formally recognized that co-ops are the key to advancing an economy and society that works for everyone. Now it is on the cooperative community to leverage this recognition by raising awareness of and advocating for co-ops before policymakers and the general public. In the U.S., that means rolling up our sleeves in our nation’s capital to ensure that co-ops are treated fairly—whether through tax policy, access to financing, providing resources for co-op development, or looking to co-ops as a key tactic in addressing the housing crisis.
The events in New Delhi drove home the fact that co-ops present the answer to many of today’s great challenges. To meet this moment, more people must know about co-ops and cooperators must advocate for national and local policies that recognize and support this business model. The International Year of Cooperatives presents a unique opportunity. Let’s unite in 2025 and beyond to build a better world.
—Doug O’Brien is President and CEO of NCBA CLUSA. Valeria Roach is Executive Vice President and CFO of NCBA CLUSA.