Cooperatives Europe Annual Meeting

Speech

Dame Pauline Green Co-President

Colleagues and friends

At the Regional Assembly in October 2002 in Lisbon,

you did me the great honour of electing me as President
of ICA Europe. As a result of that position, I joined the
Board of the International Co-operative Alliance as the
Vice President for the Europe Region of the ICA,
alongside the other three Vice Presidents for the
Americas, the Asia Pacific Region and for Africa. The
European and global work has been a fascinating and
stimulating part of my job for the last seven years and I
want to thank you all very much for having given me the
opportunity to represent European co-operatives. I have
learnt so much and made so many good friends and
colleagues during that time, and I hope that I have been
able to make some contribution to the development of
our model of business.

At the end of September this year, I will retire from my

full time post as Chief Executive of Co-operativesUK the
apex body for all co-operatives in the United Kingdom.
The Board of Co-operativesUK has asked me to complete
my elected term of office in the ICA at regional and
global level, which I am delighted to do. However, it
does mean that at the Annual Meeting of Co-operatives

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Europe next year, I will be retiring from the Board and
the Co Presidency.

However, some of you may already know that I am to be

nominated by the UK movement as their candidate for
the election of President of the ICA that will be held at
the General Assembly in Geneva in November this year
for the coming 4 year term. Should I be successful in
that election I will, of course, be continuing my
relationship with the global ICA, and in particular, will
be pleased to remain in close contact with developments
in Cooperatives Europe which is very close to my heart.

Cooperatives Europe can, and is working because, in

planning for its launch in 2004/5, the Board of ICA
Europe and that of our partner CCACE representing the
business sectors, were clear that our key strategic role
was to lobby the European institutions and work with the
governments of non EU countries in our region to try and
maximise our influence on the policy and funding
regimes which could help to grow our model of business
across our region.

You heard earlier that some significant success has been

created in this core role, although much still remains to
be done.

It is also the case that after four years since coming

together as Cooperatives Europe, firstly through an
informal platform and then as an incorporated body, we
have now had time to test the structures, governance and
operational procedures that we established in our
constitution and see if any revisions are necessary.

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The Board meeting last evening asked me to report back
to you that it has decided to review our performance and
look to see if we need to make any changes to our
constitution and operating practices. If so, the Board will
have time for appropriate consultation in order that any
reforms requiring member approval are fully worked up
and can be introduced at the Annual Meeting next year.

I am also authorised to tell you that in order to facilitate

the election of Co Presidents and Directors it is our
intention to hold a full Regional Assembly in April next
year in Moscow at the invitation of our Russian
colleagues. It will be held on 19/20/21st April 2010.

The key changes and development of Cooperatives

Europe were driven by the Board with a clear eye on two
things.

Firstly, the modern trading environment in which our co-

operative businesses are working, and the need to use our
influence in whatever way we can to support and bring
added value to their work.

And secondly, the new global order in which we are now

operating. A global order that has seen power settling in
three key seats of political and economic power in the
world.

Despite the desperate plight of its financial system, its

housing market and manufacturing industry, and
unemployment the United States remains the key
economic and political power house in the world. The

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European Union has grown in importance as the global
market developed, and has more than justified the
aspirations of its founding fathers by bringing sovereign
states together to keep the European economy in a key
place in the world economy. Thirdly, the new economies
of China, India and Brazil are blazing the trail for the so
called ‘developing economies’ and have rightly won a
place at the top table.

As a result of these considerations, it is right that

Cooperatives Europe should develop a new way of
working, be imaginative, innovative and make ourselves
the sort of organisation that our members can rely on to
give them what they want for the next 20 years.

In the co-operative movement, it is sometimes hard to

think ahead. We have a great historical tradition, a fine
heritage of which we can be proud. But if we are to pass
that on, we have to find ways to work that reflect the
forward looking, radical approach of our forefathers.

Co-operatives Europe has made the first stab at some

new thinking and different and more appropriate working
practices.

The International Co-operative Alliance whose central

office is based in Geneva, has also been carrying out a
root and branch reform of its constitution, structure and
subscription formula to make it better able to meet the
changing world environment. It has been a mammoth
effort which has been tried several times in the last 30
years and failed each time. In 2008 we succeeded, and at
a Special General Assembly of Members in Rome in

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June 2008 we overwhelmingly adopted a new
constitution, and a new subscription formula.

It is now starting to work as a global body valuing its

regions and using the skills and knowledge that exists
amongst its regional staff as a key component in its
decision making. And now it is also seeking to bring the
sectoral specialists closely into that discussion and
debate, so that every part of the movement is working to
the same set of global priorities.

If we can harness all our movement’s best thinking, we

are in a position to take our case to the global bodies that
have the global strategic influence just as the European
institutions have for this region.

It is now time to lift our eyes from Rule books and

balance sheets and start looking outwards to what we
want and expect from our global body. What is the
unique role that the ICA can perform for co-operative
businesses around the world?

We need visibility in the World Bank, in the United

Nations General Assembly, its Economic and Social
Forum as well as the International Labour Organisation.
And we need to have access to the key decision-makers
in all three of the world’s key political and economic
venues, Washington, Brussels and either China, India or
Brazil.

We need to be present in the corridors of power in the

United Nations. We need to be lobbying national
representatives and UN officials to ensure that the co-

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operative model of business is on their agenda and is part
of the solution to the world’s economic problems.

When the world financial system was collapsing around

our ears, you may recall hearing talk of a new world
economic order that placed transparency, proper
regulation and protection of the investment of individual
citizens at its heart. A new world order that prioritised
values in business, that ended the get rich quick culture,
and the bonus frenzy of senior financial and business
personalities. Then it all went just a little bit quiet on that
front in recent weeks as talk started to grow of the green
shoots of recovery in the world’s key economies? And
now just yesterday the World Bank issued a gloomy
forecast that sent share markets into decline once more.

But, it is all too easy now for major governments to slip

back into thinking that the panic is over and all they have
to do is to hold their nerve a little longer, and they will be
able to return to ‘business as usual’ and folk will go back
about their lives again and all will be well.

The trouble is that millions of people are already

unemployed, yet further millions have lost their homes,
livelihood and life expectations as a result of this
recession. That won’t be repaired in a hurry. Jobs won’t
be created in a moment, homes will not be re purchased
easily with the tighter control of credit, nor will the lives
ruined be fixed overnight. For some their current
situation will be a life sentence.

The economy should not be allowed to return to

‘business as usual’.

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The pressure must be kept on. And the promotion and
development of our model of business must be a factor in
the recovery, and in working up a new economic order to
ensure that this sort of crisis never happens again.

The role of the ICA is to drive our message into the

hearts and minds of decision-makers at global level.

How do we fight poverty in the world? – by creating new

co-operative jobs so that families can pay for their own
needs with dignity.

How do we fight preventable deaths and illness – by

creating health co-ops that provide advice, treatment and
support for those in need.

How do we campaign against homelessness - by creating

co-operative housing schemes and providing homes.

How do we provide good healthy food? – by creating

agricultural co-ops that empower families to feed
themselves, and secure an income to build a future.

This isn’t just wishful thinking or rhetoric. We are doing

it across the world. We have a magnificent network of
grass roots co-operative partners around the globe with
whom we can work. And we have the specialist co-
operative partners in the mature movements who can
provide the expertise co-op to co-op.

We have the perfect delivery vehicle. We just need to

sell it better!

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This October, the General Assembly of the United
Nations will discuss whether to hold an International
Year of the Co-operative. These international years
come and go, and most of us are probably not even aware
of them. I for one was very sceptical of the Year of the
Co-operative. I still am. What could it achieve? Who
would pay for it? Would it be worthwhile the energy and
the inevitable expenditure? Despite my doubts, it seems
that we are likely to have it anyway. It will only be
worthwhile colleagues if we are able to pursue a couple
of high level strategic demands that will really make a
difference for our movement worldwide.

It was after all International Year of Microcredit that was

the launch pad for the microcredit movement which has
served families and communities in the developing world
so well.

Imagine, if you will for just a moment, a time when the

World Bank, the UN programmes, the European Union,
its development fund, its legislation and funding regimes
automatically place co-operatives in their plans and
aspirations for activities around the world as a matter of
course. Imagine how our business model would not just
thrive with such automatic public recognition, but be
able to support greater numbers of local communities,
children and families, provide homes, jobs, training and
education, dig wells, provide electricity like the US
electric co-ops have been doing in Bangladesh and so
much more.

So, this isn’t just wishful thinking or rhetoric, it can

happen.

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The ICA can be part of making it happen.

What else should the ICA be doing?

Well it needs to see how at global level it can enhance

member added value services, and in particular business
services and support at the appropriate level.

That appropriate level may mean giving additional

constructive support and help to the global sectoral
bodies to help those that have never really learned how to
operate effectively, but whose global role could be useful
to members. It could mean pushing support down to the
regions with their closeness to the active membership,
and supporting with the dissemination of good quality
data and information about co-operative and competitor
performance where it is available.

This too isn’t just wishful thinking or rhetoric, we have

proved it in Cooperatives Europe where it is actually
happening.

And, of course, the ICA must continue to improve the

professionalism of its administration and services. It is
developing a new global database. This should make the
collection and collation of data on members much
quicker and simpler, and more informed. But there is still
much to do if they are to be a vehicle for the
dissemination of best practice and information about the
global movement.

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At the same time, the ICA needs to continue the process
of regionalisation and decentralisation that was started in
Oslo in 2003. This process is as critical to the success of
the ICA as is the lobby of the global institutions. It is the
regions who have access to members, who know most of
them locally and have a named contact within each. So it
is both sensible and efficient of resources to have strong
effective regions to carry out very local and regional
work.

All of this adds up to a big agenda.

But is it just another case of wishful thinking and

rhetoric?

I don’t think so. I am of the view that when we all lift

our eyes up from our quite natural concentration on the
work and demands of our own co-operative day job, and
look what we could and should do together, and what our
priorities should be, the world is our oyster.

Colleagues,
Cooperatives Europe has been at the forefront of
changing the culture and working practices of the global
organisation. We have driven the process of
decentralisation, and created a European body that now
has profile and visibility within the European institutions.

Cooperatives Europe was instrumental in securing the

formula that led to the successful reform of the ICA rules
and subscription. The IC A is now ready to take on
its new role and this is the time to do it.

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It has been frequently said that this global crisis presents
us with a co-operative opportunity. Working together we
can maximise that opportunity and be part of a new era
in co-operative development across the world.

Ends

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