Statement on the Co-operative Identity

International Cooperative Alliance

Type	Cooperative federation
Industry	Activities of other membership organizations N.E.C. Cooperative movement
Founded	1895 (1895)
Headquarters	Brussels , Belgium
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Ariel Guarco (President) Jeroen Douglas (Director general)
Members	>300 organizations
Website	ica.coop

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is a non-governmental organization established in 1895. The ICA represents 306 cooperative federations and organizations and approximately one billion individuals across 105 countries.^[1]

ICA activities have established committees to support inclusion of underrepresented groups (like women and youth) in cooperatives and contributed to cooperatives' digital transformation.

History

The ICA was established in 1895, and held its first congress in London the same year. In 1896, the ICA confirmed it was politically neutral. In 1937, its Co-operative Principles were reviewed for the first time at the 15th World Co-operative Congress in Paris; amendments followed in 1966.^[2]

In 2006, the ICA published the first major index of the world's largest cooperative and mutual enterprises, the ICA Global 300.^[3] Since 2011, together with the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (EURICSE), the ICA Global 300 developed into the World Cooperative Monitor, which collects economic, organizational, and social data about cooperatives worldwide, including top 300 rankings and sectoral analysis. Since 2018, each edition of the Monitor has had a theme; in 2022 the theme was digitalization and cooperative identity.^[4][5][6]

Since 2014, the ICA has participated in the G20 Engagement Groups in various task forces, discussions, and official documents. In 2018, the ICA created the International Cooperative Entrepreneurship Think Tank (ICETT) to study and discuss entrepreneurship in cooperative enterprises.^[7] In 2020, the ICA established the Cooperative G20 Working Group.^[8]

The ICA also coordinates celebrations of the International Day of Cooperatives.^[9]

In 2020, the ICA introduced "A People-Centered Path to a Second Cooperative Decade", its strategic plan for 2020-2030. This plan was developed following consultations with members and replaced the earlier "Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade".^[10][11]

Co-operative identity, values and principles

In 1995, the ICA adopted a revised Statement on the Co-operative Identity, which states that a co-operative is 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."^[12]

The co-operative values are as follows:

• Self-help;
• Self-responsibility;
• Democracy;
• Equality;
• Equity; and
• Solidarity^[12]

At the time of the adoption of the revised Statement on the Co-operative Identity, the Co-operative Principles were also adopted and are as follows:

1. Voluntary and Open Membership
2. Democratic Member Control
3. Member Economic Participation
4. Autonomy and Independence
5. Education, Training and Information
6. Co-operation among Co-operatives
7. Concern for Community^[12]

Efforts

The ICA promotes gender equality through open membership, enabling of women participation, and its Gender Equality Committee (formerly the Global Women's Committee).^[13] ICA research and reporting attempts to identify structural barriers (such as unpaid care work and financial exclusion) and under-representation of women in leadership roles.^[14] In 2009, Dame Pauline Green became the first woman president of the ICA; she had previously served as British Member of the European Parliament and chief executive of the UK's Cooperative Union.^[15]

The ICA also supports the inclusion of youth in the cooperative movement. In 2021, at the 33rd ICA World Cooperative Congress in Seoul, board members approved the creation of a Youth Committee to promote cooperative values, principles, and engagement in young people.^[16]

The ICA's CM50 Commitment Plan and Charter is intended to strengthen contributions to critical areas, including digital transformation and platform co-operativism.^[17] The ICA commissioned a discussion paper to explore how to and support platform cooperatives within the wider digital economy.^[18]

The .coop domain is intended for the use of co-operatives, digitally connecting co-operatives globally. The domain is managed and governed by DotCooperation LLC (DotCoop), which is an organization jointly owned by National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International and the ICA.^[19] During the COVID-19 pandemic, DotCoop launched a digital transformation campaign to encourage co-operatives worldwide to embrace an online identity.^[20]

Insignia

The ICA adopted its original rainbow flag in 1924, with the seven colors symbolizing unity in diversity, and the power of light, enlightenment, and progress.^[21]

Official use of the rainbow ICA flag ended in 2001.^[22] The current flag has a plum background and a white ICA logo in the center.

• 
  Flag used by the International Cooperative Alliance from 1924 to 2001.
• 
  Current ICA Flag

References

Further reading

• Hilson, Mary (2018). The International Co-operative Alliance and the consumer co-operative movement in Northern Europe, c. 1860–1939. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-1-5261-2733-4.
• Rhodes, Rita (1995). The International Co-operative Alliance During War and Peace: 1910–1950. Geneva: International Co-operative Alliance. ISBN 978-92-9054-001-4.
• Watkins, W. P. (1970). The International Co-operative Alliance 1895–1970. London: International Co-operative Alliance.

External links

• Official website