ILO Centenary Declaration: Cooperatives call for people-centred business models for a fair, secure, and inclusive Future of Work The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) welcomes the human-centered agenda advocated in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Centenary outcome document released on the 13 May. Aside from the commitment to reducing inequalities amongst vulnerable ...

I’m going to be honest with you. This is real talk. Have you ever noticed how miserable people seem to be? How often do people whine and complain about their lives? It seems like it’s the norm to feel like nothing is ever enough. The reason is simple. It all comes down to following the crowd. Most people are prisoners to the opinions of others. People are too scared to be themselves. ...

The world conference on Cooperatives for Development and General Assembly of the ICA will be held in Kigali, Rwanda. We will show the contribution of cooperatives in different sectors and regions to sustainable development, including economic, social and environmental.  The vital contribution that cooperatives make to the SDGs cover each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the ...

Accept being different! I know your thought is wondering around what people might say about you being different and not always conforming with the norms like others do... Let them say! Yes, it is very difficult daring to be different in a world where the majority are full of evil, self centered, liars and deceitful people. Don't allow that to stop your being unique by being the cha...

Cooperative Support Services Ltd Annual ICT Masterclass for Cooperative Leaders, Regulators & Managers in Nigeria with this being the 3rd in the series is to be held on the 13th day of March 2019 at the Lagos Energy Academy Old Secretariat Road GRA Ikeja. The theme for this year's Masterclass is LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR COOPERATIVE BUSINESS GROWTH We shall have High Chief Ta...

The theme of the International Day of Cooperatives 2019 (CoopsDay) is COOPS 4 DECENT WORK. We are shouting out the message that cooperatives are people-centred enterprises characterized by democratic control that prioritise human development and social justice within the workplace. “Cooperatives help to preserve employment and promote decent work in all sectors of the economy. Through...

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It was jubilation galore at the office Secretariat of the Cooperative Rating & Award Society of Nigeria (CRASoN) when the good news of the Federal Government of Nigeria's Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD) endorsed the Nigerian National Cooperative Awards and Project CoopCOUNT which is also to be supervised by the Federal Department of Cooperatives under the aegi...

Following the endorsement of the Cooperative Rating & Award Society of Nigeria  (CRASoN) project by Chief Audu Ogbeh, OFR  Honorable Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, the management committee of the rating and award institution led by the President of the body, pay a courtesy visit to Engr. Akintoye Akintola the Federal Director of Cooperatives (FDC) ...

Arising from a meeting of the CRASoN Management Committee and the College Jurors, where the President Mr. Victor Oyegoke gave a report of the Abuja trip and conclusions reached with the Federal Department of Cooperatives in harmonizing all program of events leading to the grand finale of the Awards & Patrons Investiture Ceremony cum Dinner/Banquet, the dates for all entries submitted...

June 19, 2018 marked a historic meeting between the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA (NCBA CLUSA) recognizing the importance of international unification and collaboration to effectively advance the cooperative movement. These two organizations represent over 1.2 billion members of cooperatives and credit unions internationa...

96TH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE DAY 24TH UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COOPERATIVES Sustainable societies through cooperation On 7 July 2018, cooperators around the world will celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives. Through the slogan Sustainable societies through cooperation we will show how, thanks to our values, principles and governance structures, cooperatives have ...

As the world of work is faced with challenges posed by new technology, cooperatives are examining the impact this could have on the sector. The changing nature of cooperative learning and research was a key theme of the Co-operative College’s annual conference in Manchester on 1-2 May. The two-day event featured the President of the International Co-operative Alliance, Ariel Guarco, a...

Today, the International Cooperative Alliance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to renew the collaboration seeking to support, enhance and promote the unique contributions of cooperatives to eradicate food insecurity, reduce rural poverty and bring sustainable management of natural resources. The MoU h...

Today, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder, and the President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Mr Ariel Guarco, have met at the ILO Headquarters in Geneva to discuss areas of collaboration, building-up on their historic ties. Currently, the two institutions work on a range of initiatives including: Reforming cooperative and s...

It’s possible to fake emotional intelligence. Similar to knockoffs of luxury watches or handbags, there are emotions and actions that look like the real thing but really aren’t. With the best of intentions, I’ve seen smart leaders charge into sensitive interactions armed with what they believed was a combination of deep empathy, attuned listening, and self-awareness but was, in fact, a w...

One of the biggest actors in employment and a laboratory of future trends: cooperative work concerns 10% of the global employed population On International Workers' Day (1 May), the International Cooperative Alliance is celebrating the commitment of cooperators to creating sustainable jobs and formal work, lowering income inequality, and showing their capacity to be a large laboratory e...

The House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions has announced a two-day public hearing on six bills that will strengthen the nation’s agricultural sector, including a Bill for an Act to Regulate the Profession of Agriculture which will make provision for the establishment of the Nigerian Institute of Agriculturists and other related matters. This follo...

One of the most difficult transitions for leaders to make is the shift from doing to leading. As a new manager you can get away with holding on to work. Peers and bosses may even admire your willingness to keep “rolling up your sleeves” to execute tactical assignments. But as your responsibilities become more complex, the difference between an effective leader and a super-sized individua...

When a company needs a supervisor for a team, senior leaders often anoint the team’s most productive performer. Some of these stars succeed in their new role as manager; many others do not. And when they fail, they tend to leave the organization, costing the company double: Not only has the team lost its new manager, but it’s also lost the best individual contributor. And the failure can...

When employees lack self-confidence, it can be hard to get them to perform at their best. So how can you help them excel at their job? What kind of coaching should you provide? What’s the best way to boost their self-esteem? And how do you deal with your own frustration around their insecure behavior? What the Experts Say Insecure employees are “hard to evaluate, hard to coach, and h...

The guides outline the changes that are needed to help advocate co-ops - and how co-ops can report on sustainability The International Co-operative Alliance has published two new guides for co-ops, on reporting on co-operative sustainability and advocating for co-ops. Co-operative advocacy Created in partnership with think tank Mutuo, the Global Policy and Advocacy Guide is design...

The 62nd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women has included co-operatives in its conclusions on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls. Representatives of the International Co-operative Alliance, including the Chair of the Gender Equality Committee, Maria Eugenia Perez Zea, the President of the Gender Equality Committee of the Cooperativas de...

From 12 to 15 March, all ICA offices participated in the second annual review meeting of the #coops4dev ICA-EU partnership with the European Commission on international development, held in New Delhi. The focus points of the agenda were the review of activities carried on the second year of the partnership, for which each region shared success stories for replication, and the planning...

The International Co-operative Alliance pays tribute to its former Director General Bruce Thordarson who passed away on April 1, aged 69. Mr Thordarson took on the role in 1988 and acted as Director General until 2001, having previously served as its Head of Development and Associate Director. In a letter to members, the current Director General, Bruno Roelants, said: “Bruce Thordarson ...

New technology is changing the expectations customers have of financial services, giving rise to serious concerns around security. But technology also presents opportunities to reach new markets – making it vital that credit unions keep up with new developments, delegates at this year’s conference of the Association of British Credit Unions (Abcul) were told. A plenary session on finte...

The Abcul conference heard from three credit unions about their work to promote financial inclusion – and how it can lead to more radical social transformation Representatives of three US credit unions shared their experience of working with high-risk, low-income customers who have been excluded from the financial system. Speaking at a session of the Association of British Credit Union...

It was real fun and educative moment for cooperative leaders and managers who participated at the 2nd Annual ICT Masterclass where we have professionals and educationists speak to participants. The event which was held on the 1st of March, 2018 at the Rain International office, Ikeja Lagos was adjudged one of the best training workshop attended by participants started around 9am with ...

The theme for the 2018 International Day of Co-operatives is "sustainable consumption and production of goods and services". It gives an opportunity for co-operatives to show how they run successful businesses while respecting our natural environment and the resources it offers. The theme was unveiled in the presence of the President of the International Co-operative Alliance, Ariel Guar...

By Ariel Guarco We are starting a new year with a lot of challenges. To handle them, the first task is being aware of the size, trajectory and power of our movement. As we learnt from our latest Global Conference, we are more than 1.2 billion people around the world. One in every six people on the planet. This means that our movement can have an enormous influence on how to solve the ...

‘I commit myself to serving you as a board and the wider co-operative movement as well as I possibly can’ The International Co-operative Alliance has announced Bruno Roelants as its new director general. He will start in his new position over the coming weeks. Currently secretary general of the International organisation of industrial and service cooperatives (CICOPA), Mr Roelants ha...

This animation introduces the learner to various features of a co-operative society, merits and limitations of a co-operative society. This is a product of Mexus Education Pvt. Ltd., an education innovations company based in Mumbai, India.  ...

Bitcoin and other digital currencies have emerged as potential disruptors to the financial system, but fear, theft, and illegal activity still hang over them. Here's what you need to know. Bitcoin has injected itself into a lot of conversations about the future of technology, economics, and the internet. The future of digital currencies remains a controversial topic. After reading the...

You can often predict which meetings will be unproductive from the moment you receive the invitation. There’s the “team update” where you spend two hours listening to a rundown of how everyone spent their week, or the “planning meeting” where you hash out picayune details that should have been handled elsewhere, or the “brainstorming session” where extroverts shout out random ideas.

Self-awareness seems to have become the latest management buzzword — and for good reason. Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. We’re less likely to lie, cheat, and steal. We are better workers who get more promotions. And we’re more-effectiv...

On December 1 - 2, 2017, people from across the U.S. and from Mondragon, Spain will gather in Cincinnati, Ohio, to further develop the union co-op sector of the U.S. economy. The event brings together over 200 workers, union and community organizers, and business and religious leaders to learn from one another and from the economically thriving Mondragon system—the world's largest group ...

The Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society is accepting applications for the Gerstenberger Scholarship Fund and Community Project Grants through December 1. The Fund is named in honor of the co-op’s long-serving General Managers, Harry and Arthur Gerstenberger, and first Education Director Sally Gerstenberger. The Gerstenberger Scholarship is a new project of the Hanover Cooperative Com...

Jonathan Bethony, founder and owner of SEYLOU Bakery & Mill in Washington D.C., recently connected with NCBA CLUSA to learn more about the Millet Business Services Project in Senegal. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the project is supporting millet farmers and processors—many of them co-ops—to improve their value chain and connect to local and international marke...

This #GivingTuesday, thousands of charities and foundations are harnessing holiday generosity to impact the causes they believe matter most. But there’s only one that makes a difference through cooperative development across sectors. That’s the message Rich Larochelle, chair of the Cooperative Development Foundation’s Board of Directors, shares in a video message released today. “C...

Now working with NCBA CLUSA's Youth Empowerment through Agriculture (YETA) project in Uganda, Apangu Godfrey Philliam was awarded a scholarship by Marshal Papworth to earn a Master of Science degree in Food and Water Security at Aberystwyth University in the UK. Since graduating, Apangu has returned to Uganda and  trained over 1,000 youth in agribusiness and other skills through the YETA...

As the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved changes to the tax code last week and the Senate considers the measure, the cooperative community is monitoring how the tax overhaul could affect member-owners of the nation’s 40,000 cooperative businesses. The legislation includes cuts to corporate taxes and changes the way other income and expenses are treated. NCBA CLUSA has ur...