ICA issues messages for "International Women's Day"--2013

“The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum!”
Messages for the “International Women’s Day”—March 8, 2013
from Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA); and María Eugenia Pérez Zea, Chair of the ICA Gender Equality Committee










Over the last four decades, the position of women has made some progress; however, it is still too little and too long in coming. Let us encourage our daughters, and granddaughters. Let us insist that today’s world demands equality for each individual whether man or woman.

Today the world faces unparalleled challenges. What we know today is that the traditional approaches to governing society, managing businesses, financing public services, handling conflict and war are simply no longer relevant.

Having more women in key decision-making places in political, economic and social decision-making at all levels in society is the way to move away from the sort of decision-making that has served us so poorly in recent years.

Today we want a different approach–one that values each individual and the contribution they can make to building a better world.

We can no longer put up with a world where it is acceptable to shoot a girl child for wanting to go to school, or to disregard the crime of rape against a woman who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We thought the campaign for equality was about low pay, discrimination, humiliation or glass ceilings in the work place, or by hunger and poverty. But it is more, all too often it is a classic case of oppression and repression. Building a better world is about allowing each person to flourish and fulfill their potential–nothing else will do.

We want to prioritise policies for people; one that values businesses that have people at the heart of economic decision making and not profit; one that believes that money is better spent on creating a fairer, more just legal and social environment rather than funding political despots or trading in conflict.

Co-operative businesses have done so much to help women onto the ladder of economic activity. With that come community respect, political legitimacy and influence. So far it has come too slowly. It is time for us to show that our co-operative movement can be a movement for the economic, social and political emancipation of all women.

This is the real co-operative message of International Women’s Day.

Dame Pauline Green
President, International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)













Today, the International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world and it is the right opportunity to give an even greater emphasis to the fundamental role of women in achieving development, peace and security. There is increasing evidence of the rapid progress of women and their expanding beneficial role in today’s world development though there are still huge challenges ahead to insure their strength.

We have reached a turning point in history. It has become urgent to redefine the stereotypes of power and leadership about women to make sure that they enjoy an equal treatment in the decision-making processes and that they are allowed to make a maximum contribution to socio-economic development. The lessons of history are that the negative repercussions of inequality are borne by mankind as a whole, and therefore to achieve women’s equality everyone must engage in the process.

A large array of studies assert that there is an essential link between aiming at obtaining equal rights for women and reducing poverty, improving health and education, alleviating the climate change effects and making headway towards more sustainable development. All these objectives are shared by the world co-operative movement, are interdependent and support gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Therefore the co-operative business model is an ideal platform to break down the barriers of inequality and is the preferential model to enable women to have access to a participatory democracy, to decision-making bodies, to markets and technology, and above all, to protect them from the injustice of the current dominant development model.

The need for more and better qualified human capital is increasingly growing and women's entrepreneurial potential is still underexploited. One third of entrepreneurs are women but their number is on the increase, more particularly in low-income countries. It is also estimated that more than half of cooperative members are women. These women leaders are often co-operative leaders. Women MPs, judges and activists are promoting change and a distinct way of operating. Governments and civil society are testing new approaches to ensuring that women have wider access to legal procedures, through gender-sensitive legal reforms. We are all aware that with a proper education, knowledge of their rights and decision-making power women are better able to demand what they should be entitled to enjoy.

The Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women was ratified by 186 countries. 125 declared domestic violence illegal; 117 countries have laws on equal pay; and 115 countries guarantee women’s equal rights to property, and more.

However, we still live in a society which allows lower pay for women. In three quarters of the planet, women are the major victims of poverty, ill-treatment and daily harassment.

The belief of thousands of co-operative members that any discrimination based on gender is a major obstacle to democracy and a sustainable development urges us to promote, defend and seek to enforce women’s and girls’ rights. To this end we should encourage education processes to empower women, to facilitate their promotion to the administrative and management leadership, and to change the statistical data of the representation of men and women.

Currently our societies are confronted with difficult challenges from an economic nature to an environmental one and time might have come to take advantage of these opportunities to show that changes can be shaped in such difficult periods. I invite every single co-operative to give the highest priority in its policies to the equal recognition of rights and opportunities to Women.

ICA recognizes that the Gender Agenda has gained more relevance than ever before and it is our opportunity to seek even more equality for women—by showcasing that our leadership is the most effective model for socio-economic development. 

María Eugenia Pérez Zea
Chair, International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) Gender Equality Committee











Source: ICA-Asia and Pacific office

“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

ICA MESSAGE--Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women

“Equal access to education, training and science and technology:

Pathway to decent work for women”

Message from the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), the world's largest body of co-ops, for International Women's Day, March 8, 2011.

On the International Women’s Day, the United Nations calls on local, national and international communities to focus on the importance of equal access to education, training and science and technology as crucial pathway to provide women with decent work opportunities.

Investing in women’s education has well recognised benefits not only for women’s own well-being but also for society as whole. The link between better education for women and the reduction of poverty and improved human development is well documented. Women’s access to education provides significant opportunity for self-empowerment. More educated women lead to better nourished, healthy and educated children, girls and boys, thus breaking the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty. Indeed, we know that educated and empowered women are agents of family and community well-being, and thus catalysts for socio-economic development at the national and local level.

Today, the United Nations is asking the international community to go beyond just promoting education and training but to also enable equal access to science and technology to provide women better access to decent work.

Undoubtedly, access to education, training and science and technology are closely related. With lower levels of education and less access to training, many women lack the skills and experience needed to develop, produce and utilise new technologies. Moreover, since women’s businesses generally tend to be smaller and have less access to capital for investment in these new technologies, acquiring science and technology education and training which can empower women in all aspects of their lives remains a challenge. Facilitating and promoting access to technology not only will spur economic growth, but will enable women and men, girls and boys to create, receive, share and use information and knowledge for their economic, social, cultural and political

development.

In today’s knowledge society, a truly socially inclusive society should make sure that it empowers all members of society without gender bias.

The co-operative movement’s principle on co-operative education, training and information is recognition of the important role the movement can play in this area.

Much has been done by co-operatives worldwide to provide women with life-long learning opportunities, not only through targeted programmes, but also through the direct participation in co-operative governance and management, representing important daily “learning by doing” experiences.

Many co-operatives have provided women with opportunities to become entrepreneurs and access decent work. They have enabled them to move out of informal and precarious job markets. They have improved access to credit, product and market information, technology and training in management skills and enterprise development.

The appropriate use of technology, especially ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has led co-operatives to create new opportunities for decent work, conquering new and more profitable markets and, and above all, improving access to information. We know for example that rural women co-operators in a number of countries are able to access information on best farming practices, pest and disease control, up to the minute market prices and weather forecasts through technology. This access has enabled them to improve both their agricultural productivity as well as

their livelihoods.

However, ICT not only improves economic efficiency, it has also provided an extraordinary way for co-operators, both women and men, to participate in technology development and create networks for sharing knowledge worldwide thus reducing isolation. Co-operators are using the technologies available to promote ‘co-operation among co-operatives’, another of the Co-operative Principles.

Consequently, co-operatives have an important role to play. By increasing women co-operators’ access to education and training programmes, they will facilitate more decent work opportunities for women. By taking advantage of the global co-operative network and fostering exchanges between co-operators worldwide with this enhanced capacity, they will be creating opportunities for collaboration among all co-operators. They will promote the transfer of know-how; they will promote the development and use of participatory and user-driven technologies and research programmes, to name only a few.

Therefore, 8 March 2011, International Women’s Day, we call on ICA member organisations and co-operators, to not forego the contribution of the large talent pool that women co-operators represent and to strengthen their commitment for fostering equal access to education, training and science and technology by providing women co-operators with targeted training programmes, particularly on new technologies, and promoting exchanges which can crucially work to build bridges and foster collaborations among co-operators worldwide.

Let us lead with good practice. Let us show what can be achieved when co-operatives enable women all over the world to reap the benefits of equal access to education, training and science and technology!

Dame Pauline Green

President, ICA

Stefania Marcone

Chairperson, ICA Gender Equality Committee

The ICA is an independent, non-government association which unites, represents and serves co-ops worldwide. The ICA was founded in London in 1895. Its members are national and international co-operative organizations in all sectors of activity including agricultural, banking, fisheries, housing, tourism, and consumer co-ops. ICA has more than 247 member organizations from 92 countries, representing nearly 1 billion individuals worldwide.

“Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all”--message from the ICA

Looking back to International Women's Day, 2010, here's a message from the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) on that occasion. The ICA is an independent, non-government association which unites, represents and serves co-ops worldwide. The ICA was founded in London in 1895. Its members are national and international co-operative organizations in all sectors of activity including agricultural, banking, fisheries, housing, tourism, and

consumer co-ops. ICA has more than 237 member organizations from 89 countries, representing more than 800 million individuals worldwide. The AWCF is a member of the ICA-Asia and the Pacific Regional Women’s Committee (ICA AP RWC).

“Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all”

A message for International Women’s Day (8 March 2010) from the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), the world’s largest organization of co-ops.

This year, the United Nations (UN) focuses attention on the fact that the respect of women’s rights and the guarantee of opportunities lead to significant advances in social and economic development. Under the theme “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all,” International Women’s Day underlines the need for governments, civil society, women’s organizations, the private sector, the media, the entire UN system, and individual women and men to join forces in making important changes to policies, programs, attitudes and behaviors to ensure that women fully participate in economic and social life.

Nearly every study that addresses the impact of women’s participation in the economy concludes that gender equality is not only the right thing to do, it also makes good business sense. There are business studies showing that the higher percentage of women in decision-making positions, the more successful and efficient enterprises are. In times of economic stress, there is no business argument that can counter the value-added of investing in women.

Similarly, development studies over and over show that investing in women has a high return to improving livelihoods, improving access to education for children and health for all, and reducing poverty in general terms thus making an impact on overall national economic and social development.

In the co-operative movement, there are similar indications that women’s participation leads to successful enterprises that fully serve the needs of all members and their families. Women are participating in co-operatives, sometimes making up a very significant proportion of the membership and workforce as a recent ICA Gender Equality Committee survey is showing. The evidence abounds for why it is in the interest of all to make women’s rights and opportunities a priority, and yet progress at all levels continues to be slow.

Despite this, ICA and its Gender Equality Committee wish to underline the important contribution made by the worldwide co-operative movement in creating a culture of mutual respect, and its commitment to democracy and participation. All over the world, co-operatives contribute to the challenge of gender equality by implementing at various levels gender equality policies and programs, providing co-operators with awareness-rising, training and education, and decent work. Furthermore, co-operatives are promoting this model of business to women entrepreneurs who often find that this form of enterprise allows them the flexibility and alternative management structures that they seek – an efficient business model that takes into account their specific needs and that promote their socio-economic empowerment. More action is nonetheless required.

Co-operatives must intensify their efforts in improving gender equality in particular at this time of economic instability. Co-operative resilience can only be reinforced when programmes to ensure equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men are implemented, particularly at senior levels in our movement.

On the one side, there is continued need to review national and co-operative policies and cooperative statutes and bylaws to ensure that these do not constrain women’s access to equal opportunities including the right to own land and other property. Innovative strategies are needed to promote changes in organizational culture, rules of procedure and working methods as well as address constraints related to lack of time (work-family balance), and lack of personal security.

There is also the need for attitude changes. Too often, obstacles in the form of negative stereotypes about women’s leadership potential continue to limit change and progress. Specific measures to encourage and support women’s participation and enable them to seek and gain senior leadership positions should be enhanced, including management and leadership training, formalized mentorship programs, and sustainable financial support.

On the 8th of March 2010, International Women’s Day, we call on ICA member organizations and co-operators to review and reinforce their commitments, policies and programs to make gender equality a reality.

Let us be leaders in assuring progress for all by taking important steps to boost women’s rights and access to participation and leadership in co-operative enterprise. Let us begin by asking all our members to ensure that from this year onwards that their representative delegations are truly gender-balanced.

Pauline Green, President, ICA

Stefania Marcone, Chair, ICA Gender Equality Committee