BRUSSELS, October 17, 2023 – The International Cooperative Alliance [ICA] and cooperators from around the globe will on Thursday attend a virtual event that will discuss equity and inclusion in the context of the cooperative identity.
The event is co-hosted by the National Cooperative Business Association [NCBA CLUSA] International, the apex cooperative association in the U.S. It is part of ICA’s #CooperativeIdentity consultation process, where focused conversations on key issues at the core of the shared cooperative identity will be held. “These discussions—including this event—will help determine whether the Statement on the Cooperative Identity has stood the test of time.”
By holding discussions, organisers want to deepen the cooperators’ understanding of the Cooperative Consultation process with a focus on how cooperators from around the world can contribute and participate.
Participants will also learn from a panel of global thinkers on equity, inclusion, and the Cooperative Identity.
The event will also make the voice of cooperators heard, for example, on how their cooperatives view equity and inclusion in the context of the cooperative identity.
A number of panelists for the virtual event have been selected. They include: Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Professor of Community Justice and Social Economic Development at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.
Others are Divyaa Gupta, Senior Coordinator SEWA Cooperative Federation in India, and Alexander Wilson, Chair Cooperative Identity Advisory Group, ICA, and Marcelina, Vice President ICA Youth Network.
ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity defines a cooperative as 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.
According to ICA, cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
Meanwhile, principles/guidelines by which cooperatives put their values in practice as listed by ICA are: Voluntary and Open Membership; Democratic Member Control; Member Economic Participation; Autonomy and Independence; Education, Training, and Information; Cooperation among Cooperatives; Concern for Community.
https://thecooperator.news/consultation-on-cooperative-identity-ica-roots-for-local-participation/
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