Dame Pauline launches the International Year of Co-operatives at the United Nations

On Monday 31 October, Dame Pauline Green and over 100 hundred co-operative leaders from across the world, launched the International Year of Co-operatives at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

Over the course of Monday and over Tuesday 1 November, a host of co-operative focused activities have taken place at the United Nations buildings, including press conferences and roundtable discussions with senior co-operative leaders and United nations officials.

The peak came when Dame Pauline, President of the International Co-operative Alliance – the voice of the global co-operative movement that is driving the International Year campaign – launched the International Year in the General Assembly.

She stressed that above all the United Nations, and national governments, need to treat the co-operative business model equally with others. Specifically Dame Pauline emphasised three key messages in her speech.

"Firstly, member-owned co-operatives are a serious business model with scale. And so, co-operatives are asking that the specific and unique legal and financial framework of a co-operative is fully acknowledged and recognised in public policy and regulation.

"Secondly, member-owned co-operatives are values led businesses. Our values are integral to our business model, not just a marketing tool in the shape of a corporate social responsibility report once a year they define our identity and our brand they are part of our DNA. Co-operatives are asking that their model of business is given equal promotion with the stock holder model.

"And thirdly, our governance model is people led. At a time when people especially young people whom this recession is hitting so cruelly are cynical of the political and economic models that dominate their lives, when they are looking for a voice, in North Africa, in Wall Street and across the world, and when they are looking for impact, the co-operative is not only an effective governance model, it is a compelling one.”

This is a historic moment for co-operatives across the world. There is now over a year, until the end of 2012, during which time we can come together as a global movement and show how we build a better world.

A full round up of the launch can be found at
www.thenews.coop.

You can watch a short film of Dame Pauline Green in advance of the launch here:

If you're still planning how to take part in the International Year, visit the UK’s International Year website and order some 2012, make it co-operative leaflets to spread the word amongst your colleagues and members. www.uk.coop/2012/order