“Global300 Report 2010” announces world’s largest co-op enterprises

The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) launched on October 31, 2011 in New York City, USA, the “Global300 Report 2010,” which announced that the largest 300 co-operative enterprises in the world have a collective revenue of USD 1.6 trillion, comparable to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the world’s ninth largest economy.

The Report detailed that although co-operatives were affected by the global financial crisis in 2008, they provided stability and security due to their measured risk model and their emphasis on services to members–not just profits. As a result, the co-op model represents an important contribution to the economic and social well-being of populations and their communities. As ICA President Dame Pauline Green has said, “The diversity and robustness of the co-operative business model is based on principles and values. This is why co-operatives were resilient during the global financial crisis, employing over 100 million people worldwide and enabling the development and welfare of societies in the most competitive economies.”

The Report analyzed the co-ops by seven sectors: Agriculture/Forestry, Banking/Credit Unions, Consumer/Retail, Insurance, Workers/Industrial, Health, Utilities (and others). It detailed how the global financial crisis affected each industry. While co-operatives were not immune to financial hardship, their flexibility in responding to the shifting markets and the trust of their members enabled these businesses to survive and thrive.

The launch of the Report coincided with the United Nations (UN) “International Year of Co-operatives” in 2012, a monumental year that will provide a platform to educate the public on the strength and socio-economic value of co-operatives. Over the course of 2012, co-operatives around the world will join together in a series of events to raise awareness of the impact and importance of the co-op model on societies and economies around the world as well as promote their growth.

ICA is the global voice for the values-based business model of the co-operative, uniting co-ops worldwide and providing a forum for knowledge and concerted action. ICA was established by co-operatives in 1895, with current members in almost 100 countries representing one billion people. Co-ops are successful values-based businesses owned by their members. Whether they are customers, employees or residents, the members get an equal say in the business and a share of the profits. Employing 100 million people, co-ops are significant economic actors in many different sectors like agriculture and fisheries, retail, banking and financial services, housing, production, transport and tourism, and other sectors. The theme of the 2012 “International Year of Co-operatives” is “Co-operative enterprises build a better world.” More information is available at ica.coop

--Press Release from ICA, October 31, 2011

What Programs does AWCF have?

AWCF implements activities toward Gender Mainstreaming, Women in Leadership and Decision-Making, Women Entrepreneurship Development, Regional Policy Advocacy, and Advocacy on Support Services for Women.

Gender Mainstreaming

Enabling co-ops, community-based savings and credit organizations, and development non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) to mainstream and integrate gender concerns and perspectives in their policies, programs, and activities.

Women in Leadership and Decision-Making

Promoting the increased participation of women in leadership and decision-making in co-ops, community-based savings and credit organizations, and development NGOs and POs engaged in the promotion of co-ops. The varied activities include training on the vision of transformative leadership.

Women Entrepreneurship Development

Enhancing women’s entrepreneurial skills and advocating the mobilization of co-op resources to support women-owned and/or women-managed enterprises. This program also involves advocating for co-ops to set up co-op business development centers (BDCs) to provide services to members who have micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); build capacities of women entrepreneurs, especially those in micro-enterprises; provide micro-finance, education, and skills upgrading, physical space/facilities, access to appropriate low-cost technology, and information and communication technology; and other services.

Regional Policy Advocacy

Analyzing the gender impact of cross-cutting issues affecting co-ops and community-based savings and credit organizations in Asia; and lobbying for policy change supportive of co-ops and women at the local and international levels.

Advocacy on Support Services for Women

Advocating for co-ops to use their resources for support services to women members in response to practical and strategic needs, such as micro-credit, training on non-traditional trades, literacy classes, childcare, and assistance to women victims of violence and their protection.

Our VMGO and Roles

AWCF's Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives (VMGO) and Roles

Vision
A strong and sustainable AWCF dedicated to the development of its member-organizations regardless of sex, race, and economic status for women and men, who work together within the co-op movement for a just, humane, gender-sensitive and progressive society for a better family life and to achieve freedom to decide for their individual and collective self.


Mission
1. To advocate and enable co-operative organizations to pursue the gender agenda on gender equity, gender equality, and empowerment of women
2. To facilitate the development and installation of mechanisms to enable women to participate actively and effectively in the co-operative movement as members and leaders, and to benefit from it equitably
3. To enable women and men to work together in the co-operative movement as partners who have access to equal opportunity in different contexts


Goals
1. To set up and implement a human resource development (HRD) program responsive to the needs of women and men leaders, members, and staff of AWCF
2. To provide support or technical assistance to co-operatives or other organizations in developing their gender program, and to evaluate the gender responsiveness of other programs
3. To undertake research, documentation, and other activities that promote the welfare of women
4. To assist members in the development of strategies, plans, and activities to integrate the gender perspective in their structures, policies, programs, and services
5. To access funds from both members and other institutions to support the implementation of a gender program at local and regional levels


Objectives
1. To strengthen the capacities of members and non-members in promoting, integrating, and practicing gender equality and gender equity, and the empowerment of women in their co-op structure
2. To build the capacities and skills of women for increased participation in the leadership and decision-making in co-ops and other community-based savings and credit organizations
3. To advocate for co-ops to be aware of the particular needs of women-entrepreneurs, and for co-ops to use their resources to benefit women-entrepreneurs
4. To advocate for co-ops to use their resources to provide services needed specifically by women, arising from their multiple roles


Roles
As a resource center, AWCF assists and provides services to co-op organizations and social development agencies (SDAs) in the areas of gender mainstreaming and co-op development. As an advocacy body, it promotes gender awareness and integration of gender concerns in co-ops and SDAs in the international, regional and local levels.

AWCF takes a two-pronged approach in its work:
1. To transform and enable co-ops to become vehicles for gender equality and gender equity
2.To enable women and men in co-ops to advocate change in and through co-ops for their benefit

Knowing about the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum

...or, simply, AWCF: It was set up in 1990, and is a resource center and advocacy body on gender and co-operatives in Asia. Its members in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are national co-op organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs) that promote co-operatives. AWCF functioned initially as an informal, collaborative forum among its founding organizations. It promoted gender awareness among these organizations’ female and male leaders, staff, and members so as to enable them to pursue the thrusts of AWCF. Three years after it was founded, AWCF adopted its present organizational form and objectives.

AWCF was organized amid the awareness that gender inequalities exist in co-operatives, particularly on how co-op principles and values are put into practice. AWCF was built on the strong belief that co-ops, by their very nature as people-based and democratically run and managed socioeconomic institutions, have the values, the infrastructure, and the resources (with their strong financial base) to bring about gender equality, gender equity, improved gender relations, and improved condition of the economically and socially disadvantaged, of whom many are women.

In its many years of existence, AWCF has acquired vast expertise and resources in addressing gender issues in and through co-op structures. Together with this build-up of its competencies comes the realization for AWCF that the co-op movement now faces more and newer challenges and roles to do in a swiftly changing, globalizing world. Today, more than ever, co-ops must tap all avenues to strengthen themselves, and to enhance and maintain their relevance.

AWCF furthers its advocacy by utilizing its expertise and resources to work for stronger co-op development using the concepts and practices of gender equity and gender equality.

AWCF’s governing body is its General Assembly (GA), where two voting delegates, one female and one male, represent each regular member-organization. One delegate comes from the member’s policy-making level, and the other one comes from the implementing level. The policy-making and direction-setting of AWCF is vested in its Board of Trustees (BOT). At most, five AWCF members’ representatives are elected by the GA to the BOT.

AWCF's expertise and commitment to development has been recognized by other co-op organizations and NGOs in Asia and in other parts of the world. In the international development arena, AWCF is also an active actor. It is an “NGO in Special Consultative status” with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is a member of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO), an assembly of NGOs with consultative status with the UN.

The AWCF Executive Director is Ms Salome "Sally" A. Ganibe.