ICA-Americas Newsletter

Transcription

1 ICA-Americas Newsletter Issue Nº 6 // September 2010 BELONGING TO THE GLOBAL CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT The ICA global network has 245 member organizations from 91 countries, and represents nearly one billion individuals worldwide. (page 3) PROMOTING DECENT WORK IN ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA Co operatives in Argentina and Thailand launched No Chains a new global garment brand produced by worker run factories free of slave labour. (page 6) CANADA: NATIONAL PUBLIC OPI- NION SURVEY ON CO-OPERATIVES The Canadian Co operative Association conducted a national survey measuring Canadians' perceptions and awareness of co operatives (page 9) Inside The Editor s Pen p. 2 ICA Membership: Belonging to the global co operative movement p. 3 XVII Regional Conference and IX Assembly of ICA Americas p UN International Year of Co operatives A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE CASE FOR CO-OPS Interview with María Elena Chávez Hertig, ICA s Deputy Director General (page 8) Co op Case Study p. 6 Co operative leaders invite to participate in the largest fair of the co operative sector p. 7 Brazilian co operatives exports rose by 14% in 2010 p. 7 CANADA Housing co-ops: much more than having a roof over your head 2012 UN International Year of Co operatives: A unique opportunity to make the case for co ops p. 8 Canada: National public opinion survey on co operatives p. 9 Housing co ops: much more than having a roof over your head P.10 ICA-Americas Newsletter is an e-publication of the International Co-operative Alliance for the Americas communications@aciamericas.coop Phone: + (506) Fax: + (506) PO BOX: San José, Costa Rica

2 { The Editor s Pen } Welcome to the latest issue of the ICA-Americas Newsletter! Manuel Mariño ICA Americas Regional Director The upcoming 17th ICA-Americas Regional Conference entitled: "Cooperative Commitment to the Preservation of the Planet" will, as noted, take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, form 22 to 26 November, Its main focus will be the analysis and discussion of four thematic axes: Global Warming (management of carbon emissions, gas emissions and greenhouse effect), Energy and New Technologies, Water and Sanitation and, Cities, Rural Areas and Environment. ICA- Americas invites the co-operative movement to actively take part in this significant event in the region. The 17th Regional Conference will also include various other academic activities such as meetings and sectoral forums. In our in-depth interviews we had the pleasure to interview ICA s Deputy Director-General, María Elena Chávez. She reflected upon the unique opportunity and the challenging times ahead the co-operative movement has due to the declaration of the UN International Year of Co-operatives (IYC). Readers will also find a follow-up of the main events that are taking place concerning a wide range of co-operative matters, where the ICA- Expo has a remarkable place, since it means a great opportunity for cooperatives to build business relationships with other co-operatives around the world. Last but not least, this issue includes news form Argentinean and Brazilian co-operators. You will read a case-study about Co-operatives in Argentina and Thailand that have launched No Chains, a new global garment brand produced by worker-run factories free of slave labor. All of your suggestions and proposals regarding the newsletter s contents are very important for us, since our primary goal is to provide a publication enriched by your opinions. Please send your comments to: communications@aciamericas.coop 2

3 ICA Membership BELONGING TO THE GLOBAL CO OPERATIVE MOVEMENT The global network of co operatives affiliated to the ICA has 245 member organizations from 91 countries, and represents nearly one billion individuals worldwide. ICA membership is open to all the organizations which ad here to the ICA declaration on Co operative Identity and pursue ICA s objetives. Through ICA, the member organization is identified as a leader of the co operative movement which helps broaden its possibilities and find new contacts and resources. Co operatives around the world join ICA to be part of an organization whose main purpose is to represent and defend the interests of the co operative movement at na tional and international level. The Alli ance helps co operators find practical solutions to their day to day challenges, providing useful information and ex perience. The ICA membership benefits members in different ways. It helps co operatives address problems concerning govern ment legislation. It advocates the interests and success of co operatives, disseminates best practices and know how, strengthens their capacity building and monitors their performance and progress over time. The Alliance strives to promote the interchange of ideas, by means of international events, seminars, workshops and regional conferences which provide better opportunities for negotiation and education. Since its foundation in 1895, ICA has been the custodian of co operative values and principles and has made the case for their distinctive values based economic business model. The Regional Office for the Americas established in 1990 in San José, Costa Rica is the connection between the co operatives of the American continent and the worldwide network. It gives every co operative the opportunity to participate in specialized areas so that they get involved with the sector of their interest. In addition, it is responsible for implementing the decisions taken by the regional political bodies of ICA Americas and putting in operation the development projects. MEMBERSHIP PROCEDURE Candidates for membership must fill in a Membership Application Form and provide the ICA with the following : Rules of the Organization Annual Report List of member societies / affiliates The completed form and supporting documents must be sent to ICA Americas Regional Office s Membership Depart ment, to Apartado Postal San José, Costa Rica or to De la Iglesia Virgen de Loreto. Rohrmoser. 300 met ros norte, 100 metros oeste. Edificio de 3 niveles, lado izquierdo, contiguo al parque, San José, Costa Rica. If you need any further information and have any questions regarding ICA membership, please contact us at member@aciamericas.coop 3

4 The International Co operative Alliance for the Americas, as the highest integration body in the American region, with the support of member organizations in Argentina are honored to invite the co operative movement in the Americas and other social economy organizations, to participate in the 17th ICA Americas Regional Conference entitled: "Co operative Commitment to the Preservation of the Planet", to be held in Buenos Aires Argentina, from 22 to 26 November, ICA has started an active process to mitigate the effects of climate change through the resolution "Climate change: our co operative commitment." The central points of this resolution are: to reduce greenhouse emissions, to communicate and educate members on how they can reduce carbon emissions and to focus their political influence to contribute to the Kyoto Protocol. Besides, the Leadership Council on Climate Change and Sustainability of the Alliance is being set up and it shall guide co operatives and all sectors of ICA to propose goals and actions for environmental sustainability. In recognition of its record of social responsibility and the potential of co operatives to generate an impact that can reduce the effects of climate change, ICA has been invited to participate in the McKinsey Water Initiative. Through this initiative, the International Co operative Alliance is committed to co operate in collecting data on this subject and assist in the process of analysis with the support of cooperative members. In addition, the theme for the International Day of Cooperatives on July 5, 2008 was "Facing Climate Change through Co operative Enterprises." Its aim was to highlight the fact that co operatives are businesses that have significantly contributed to tackle climate change. To this end, cooperatives were called to strengthen their efforts to promote sustainable development and fight global warming. In this context, ICA Americas is also developing initiatives and promoting environmental practices. In the 16th Regional Conference, held in San José Costa Rica, cooperators taking part in various activities, agreed on the need to mitigate environmental degradation which has been increasing in recent decades. Environmental issues were also addressed in the First Cooperative Summit of the Americas, "Co operative Model: Response to Global Crises," incorporating it as one of the three main topics of discussion, which was called "Growth and Sustainability". The outcomes of the I Summit concerning environmental issues reflected a growing interest of the co operative movement and a need to influence on these issues. This concern became clear in the agreements of the Guadalajara Declaration. As part of the Declaration, the Co operative Green Pact (Pacto Verde Cooperativo) was included, as an initiative to promote the adoption of measures and procedures aimed at preserving the environment to lead genuine social co operative responsibility. Due to the fact that environmental issues have aroused great interest within the co operative sector, the 17th Regional Conference to be held in Buenos Aires Argentina will focus on the theme "Co operative Commitment to the Preservation of the Planet." The main objective of this Regional Conference is to raise awareness in the region about the importance of environmental preservation and to point out the commitment of the co operative movement in this field. In order to provoke discussion and participatory analysis, cross cutting themes have been defined that will be the guideline for the development of the activities planned at the Regional Conference. These axes are: 1. Global Warming (management of carbon emissions, gas emissions, greenhouse effect) 2. Energy and new technologies 3. Water and sanitation 4. Cities, rural areas and environment The 17th Regional Conference will also include various other academic activities such as meetings and sectoral forums, each of which will have a specific methodology. The American Continent has natural conditions that must be secured for environmental conservation and for future generations. Unfortunately, co operative organizations also contribute to environmental degradation, and thus, certain practices must be corrected and strategies established to minimize these impacts on the conditions of development and on people s welfare. We must seize the socio environmental commitment of cooperative organizations to implement practical and viable options which are also environmentally sustainable. Therefore, we extend our cordial invitation to you to participate in this year s Conference being an active part of it and supporting the progress of the co operative movement. Thank you in advance for your kind attention and very respectfully we ask you to spread the word about this activity among co operative organizations in your country so we all reaffirm our commitment to preserving the planet. For more information on the 17th Regional Conference: 4

5 17TH ICA AMERICAS REGIONAL CONFERENCE PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 8:00 18:00 Registration 9:00 10:00 ICA Americas Executive Meeting * 10:30 13:00 ICA Americas Regional Board Meeting * 14:30 18:00 ICA Americas Regional Board Meeting * MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 8:00 18:00 Registration 9:00 13:00 ENVIRONMENTAL SYMPOSIUMS 1. Global Warming 2. Energy and new technologies 3. Water and sanitation 4. Cities, rural areas and environment FORUMS VII Continental Forum of Co operative Women VI Universities Network Forum Worker Co operatives Seminar 13:00 14:30 Free 14:30 18:00 ENVIRONMENTAL SYMPOSIUMS 1. Global Warming 2. Energy and new technologies 3. Water and sanitation 4. Cities, rural areas and environment FORUMS VII Continental Forum of Co operative Women (CREG Assembly) 1 VI Universities Network Forum Worker Co operatives Seminar TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 8:00 18:00 Registration 9:00 13:00 FORUMS II Financial Sector Forum VII Youth Forum II Co operative Education Forum VI Parliamentarians Forum * II Insurance Sector Forum Agriculture Sector Seminar 13:00 14:30 Free 14:30 18:00 FORUMS II Financial Sector Forum (COFIA Assembly) 2 VII Youth Forum (Regional Youth Committee Assembly) 3 II Insurance Sector Forum II Co operative Education Forum VI Parliamentarians Forum * II Insurance Sector Forum Agriculture Sector Seminar 19:00 Opening Ceremony WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 9:00 12:30 IX Regional Assembly 9:00 13:30 FORUMS Health Co operatives Utilities Co operatives Co operative Social Balance and Governance Scholar Co operatives The Media and the Co operative Movement Co operative Business Exchange Round Tables 13:00 14:30 Free 14:30 18:30 Key Conference 1 Environmental Sustainability: through solidarity action and cooperative ethics Co operative Political Dialogue ICA and its proposals for Environmental Policy" THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 8:00 ICA Americas Regional Board Extraordinary Meeting * 9:00 13:00 Key Conference 2 "Co operative Social Responsibility and the Preservation of the Planet" Key Conference 3 "Environmental Public Policies and the Incidence of the Civil Society" (*) Activity with invitation only (1) CREG: Regional Equity Gender Committee 13:00 14:30 Free 14:30 17:00 Closing Conference Conference Conclusions 20:00 Closing Ceremony (2) COFIA: Financial Co operatives Committee of the Americas (3) Youth Committee 5 5

6 Promoting decent work in Asia and Latin America CO-OPERATIVES IN ARGENTINA AND THAILAND LAUNCHED NO CHAINS A NEW GLOBAL GARMENT BRAND PRODUCED BY WORKER-RUN FACTORIES FREE OF SLAVE LABOUR CO-OP OP CASE STUDY From two corners of the world, Thailand and Argentina, two groups of workers have joined to make their own common call to arms: no more chains in the garment industry! Dignity Returns in Bangkok and La Alameda in Buenos Aires jointly call upon consumers and activists alike to support decent work in the garment industry by supporting their global sweat free brand, No Chains. The new brand was launched on 4 June, 2010 and it was born as a fight against continuation of sweatshops and to offer a viable alternative model of decent work. The promoters of the idea put it simply: Unlike for other famous clothing brands, those who buy No Chains products give 100% of the reward of the labor to the workers there is no trade fairer than this. The workers who formed Thailand s Dignity Returns cooperative were all unfairly dismissed employees of Bed and Bath, a sweatshop facility that forced members of its production teams to consume amphetamines so that they could work consecutive shifts, while fining workers several days wages for sneaking bites of food during long periods when breaks were not permitted. In Argentina, many Bolivian workers have been rescued by members of the La Alameda co operative, which has denounced the sweatshop owners for their illegal detention of entire families of migrants that work under slave conditions in clandestine home factories. Experience clearly shows that no improvement in workers conditions can be meaningful and lasting without worker representation, either through genuine unionization or through worker ownership. The workers of No Chains know this from their own lives. The concept of No Chains was born when two co operatives met at a 2009 Bangkok labor conference about workers responses to economic crisis. Gustavo Vera from La Alameda had been invited to share the experiences of Argentinean workers in 2001 who occupied factories when their management left them bankrupt and unpaid. La Alameda in Argentina and Dignity Returns in Thailand thus agreed to jointly launch a global brand of sweat free clothes, calling upon both consumers and social movement groups to help end slave labor in the garment industry. Both co operatives were already well known for being composed of seasoned workers who had faced forced labor conditions and now fought for the core values of worker selfmanagement, solidarity, and decent work. Now, the workers form a unique venture between Asia and Latin America. Though they are continents apart, they share common problems of democracy, social inequality, and poverty and exploitation of workers, especially of migrants. In Buenos Aires and Bangkok, the models of T shirts were displayed in a simultaneous launch event linked by videoconference technology, on June 4, The T shirt designs that were presented were made by designers from South Korea, Indonesia, U.S., Hong Kong and Argentina, and were chosen by the workers in an open global design contest earlier this year. 6

7 CO-OPERATIVE LEADERS INVITE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LARGEST FAIR OF THE CO-OPERATIVE SECTOR The 2010 coop Expo will be a great opportunity for co operatives to build business relationships with other cooperatives around the world, said Paul Hazen, President Chief Executive of the National Business Association (NCBA). It will be an opportunity to sell and market your co operative products, to gain access to new markets and to learn from co operatives in other countries about how to make your business even better, he emphasized. ICA President, Dame Pauline Green also stated the importance of the ICA ExpoCoop This is your chance if you are a producer of co operative goods and services to showcase your products and your services to the rest of the cooperative world but also to the wided commercial world who ll be sending buyers. It s also a fantastic opportunity for us co operators to show the rest of the world that our model of business is different, said Pauline Green in a video posted at the ICA Expo Tweeter. Another reason why ICA Expo is a must for every cooperative in the world is the location of this international fair. Based on the purchasing parity power (PPP), India has the fourth largest economy in the world. It is one of the most attractive business and investment destinations due to its significant labor force, diversified natural resources and a strong macroeconomic foundation. To make this event a remarkable success, ICAExpo is registering big buyers to be present in Bangalore India. 320 buyers have already been registered. The commercial interest in co operative products of these buyers ensures a positive business results to co ops present at the Expo. We are encouraging exhibitors to send us as soon as possible a list of products they will showcase so that we can organize better business meetings for them during the event, said Luiz Branco, president of the tradeshow. More than 8,000 visitors and buyers are expected at ICAExpo The highlight of the tradeshow will be meetings between exhibitors and potential buyers during the Business Rounds. We have almost 80% of floor space sold and expect a business flow of over 100 million dollars, added Luiz Branco, president of the ICA Expo. If you want to participate in ICA Expo or need further information about this trade fair please contact Marianella Ramírez at: aciproductos@aciamericas.coop BRAZILIAN CO OPERATIVES EXPORTS ROSE BY 14% IN 2010 In the first semester of 2010 the exports of Brazilian cooperatives showed an increase of 14%. Co operatives exported a total of USD 1,99 billions whereas in the same period in 2009 they had exported USD 1,74 billions. These figures appeared in a report carried out by the Gerencia de Mercados (Gemerc) of the Organização das Cooperativas Brasileiras (OCB), an ICA member in the Americas. This increase shows a recovery tendency in commodities prices in the international market. Also it reflects the opening of new co operative businesses in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, for example said Márcio Lopes de Freitas, OCB s president. He added that important commercial activities were taken up again with the United States, Japan and Russia. Asian countries appear as the main market for Brazilian co operatives representing the 51% of the exports. The manager of Mercados, Evandro Ninaut, said that the price recovery is directly related to the emerging countries. This process is a result of the expansion of the main emerging countries, which have been favored by its internal demand and the blindagem (shield) of their financial system. This has been crucial to stabilize the effects produced by the international financial crisis. We can also mention the dollar depreciation, which has contributed to higher commodities prices since it boosts the demand of raw materials. Sugar, ethyl alcohol, soy and meat were among the main products exported by Brazilian co operatives during the first semester of

8 2012 UN International Year of Co operatives A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE CASE FOR CO OPS María Elena Chávez Hertig, ICA s Deputy Director General, is thrilled about the UN International Year of Co operatives (IYC) as it presents a unique opportunity for the ICA and for the co operative movement to make a mark on a change in how people on the street, policy makers, and governments see cooperatives. We have this International Year to open up people s minds. It comes at a perfect time in the aftermath of the crisis when people are looking for other kinds of business. They want to see enterprises being more democratic, more open, and more giving to their communities. And that s what the co operative enterprise is about. It s about people coming together to improve their lives. Expectations regarding the IYC are not only many, but also huge. The expectations are that the Year will open the door to recognition at a level to the fact that the co operative form of enterprise is the right kind of business, the better kind of business and successful business. The expectations are also that after this year, co operatives will be better positioned on international and national agendas, ICA s Deputy Director General emphasized. For the IYC, the ICA is going to be taking a leading role working with its members and with the UN agencies to ensure that co operatives are recognized as a successful and sustainable business model. The idea is that we will focus on public awareness and the visibility and recognition of the co operative model of enterprise, said Maria Elena Chávez Hertig. We are hoping to put the strategy together that will be used by each of the co operative movements in their national context to promote the co operative way of business, but allowing them to have as much flexibility in the way they feel is the best to get that recognition in their countries. According to María Elena Chávez Hertig, the cooperative movement has already started planning their activities for the Year. Co operatives are sharing a lot of ideas on how they will celebrate and make the most of the International Year. There are many initiatives including the revision of legislation that impact co operatives, to the establishment of co operative development funds, the organization of conferences, participation in trade fairs, even have national government mint coins and bills for the Year, and issue commemorative postage stamps. The ideas are very diverse with everyone thinking about what will work best in terms of promoting the co operatives in their own countries. There will be also more celebratory initiatives like prizes, and concerts. ACCESS TO RELEVANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE IYC Sharing information on the IYC is important. ICA has launched a web page on the IYC to explain what it is, how it came about and suggests what can be done. There is also the official UN website, which is now live. It includes the latest information about the official na Funding to support events organized for IYC UN International Years at the outset do not have a specific budget allocated to them to support activities. What the UN would like to do is to seek outside funding from interested governments and other partners, foundations and others that would like to sponsor or contribute to the activities of the international year. In additional, UN offices at country and regional levels may have funds that can be allocated to special projects during or in preparation for the IYC. We will also be seeking additional funds to support ICA activities, said Maria Elena. 8

9 tional committees, as well as the names and contacts of focal points for each country. It will also include basic information on celebrations that will be organized, co hosted or sponsored by the United Nations and its agencies. It is intended to be a source of information useful to everyone. It s linked from the ICA website and is available to all the co operative organizations and to those organizations that are interested in promoting co operatives. The movement needs to work together to stand out among all of the other messages that compete for the public's attention. To this end, the ICA will also be sending out a brief newsletter by e mail to all its members to update them on preparations who is doing what and what is planned by the UN. It will be available on the ICA website in English and Spanish, María Elena Chávez Hertig explained. International Year of Co operatives The United Nations International Year of Co-operatives will afford us a platform to tell our story. We won't wait until then to share our message, but the International Year provides opportunities that are not normally available. Charles Gould ICA s new Director-General At the same time, the UN and the other members of the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Co operatives (COPAC) are working on a slogan and, once agreed, it will develop a logo. ICA would encourage co ops to make the logo and slogan known by using it widely on all their communication materials to have a consistent and common message. The International Year of Co operatives will not solve all the challenges faced by co operatives, but it is an opportunity to make people and policy makers change their attitudes and go some way to addressing a myriad of issues. We can not let this opportunity go untapped, underlined ICA s Deputy Director General. Preparations for International Year of Co operatives CANADA: NATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY ON CO OPERATIVES In the spring of 2010, CCA commissioned Ipsos Reid to conduct a national survey measuring Canadians' perceptions and awareness of co operatives. The survey was commissioned in preparation for the International Year of Co operatives, which will take place in CCA will consider the survey results when preparing key messages and planning activities to take place during the International Year. Some of the survey s key findings include: One in five respondents identified themselves as a member of a co operative; in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 61 per cent of respondents cited membership in a co op, while the figure for Alberta was 44 per cent. Seven in 10 respondents agree that co operatives keep money in the local economy, are an important part of their communities and create jobs that help support local communities. More than two thirds of respondents agree that cooperatives are a trusted place to do business and save members money. Two thirds of respondents agree that co operatives provide quality products and services. The same percentage of respondents agrees that co operatives offer good customer service and have a good reputation. Three out of five respondents agree that co operatives offer good value for money and are well run businesses. The words most commonly associated with cooperatives are "local", "for all ages" and "about community." Two in five respondents consider themselves to be "very familiar" or "somewhat familiar" with co operatives. Click here for Ipsos Reid s report on the survey results. 9

10 Interview with Nicholas Gazzard, executive director of CHF Canada HOUSING CO-OPS: MUCH MORE THAN HAVING A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD The last federal housing programs supporting co operatives in Canada date from the mid 1990s and although the governments have spent money on housing, they have not favored co op development as part of an affordable housing strategy. At present, there are almost 4 million Canadians living in core housing need and in some cities home ownership seems impossible for young people. Nicholas Gazzard, executive director of the Co operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF) and vice president of the International Co operative Alliance (ICA) Housing Board, talked to ICA Americas Newsletter about how co op housing could be reinvented to address these problems. Most housing co ops in Canada were developed under the federal government programs for affordable housing which began in the 1970s and finished in the 1990s. Housing co ops in Canada have always been associated with housing for people with lower incomes and they used to fill a gap between ownership and rental. There is not much new development of housing co ops in Canada today said Nicholas Gazzard, who explained CHF has tried to encourage the government to include co operatives in any new development program it offers. It hasn t been easy for us to do that over the last ten or fifteen years he said. During the development years from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s CHF did manage to get government support. The legacy of those programs remains: there are over 90,000 units in 2,200 housing co ops throughout Canada. Today, the main problem co operatives have is financial. The government has been putting money into housing but not in specific programs. Instead, it gives money to the provinces, and the provinces spend it however they want. Province governments tend to fall to more tradional forms, top down management of affordable housing Gazzard said. He explained that during the downturn they were able to persuade the government to invest in existing housing co ops to help with repairs and renovations. However, the government has not supported the creation of new ones. Nicholas Gazzard highlighted the population of housing co ops is getting older and as a result, a re development should be encouraged. We do have an aging problem because we have older peolple living in units bigger than they need. We are trying to promote the idea of existing co ops buidling new units that should be suitable for seniors, who made their families in the co op, but whose childen have grown up and left. They are living in a unit bigger than their needs but they have nowhere else to go he said. If new units were built within the cooperative, this would free up larger housing units for younger families he added. At the moment, CHF is also analyzing the idea of a new model of housing co ops partly rental partly ownership. In some markets in Canada, particularly in the big cities, home ownership is very difficult for young people to achieve because the cost of housing is very expensive. We are talking about an hybrid model between rental and ownership in which a co operative member owns a 10 10

11 part of the house and rents the rest of it from some sort of organization, who actually holds the titles. You get your security and you get some equity, though not the full equity return. In exchange for that you get access to the market." As an example, Gazzard suggested a model that was talked out in the United Kingdom. "It arose from a problem of scarcity of housing for key workers in London. So we are talking probably about this kind of demographic: not very highly paid people, but not poor people either," he explained. Gazzard emphasized reinventing co ops for affordable housing is crucial and expressed one of the things they would like the government to start doing is measuring results. Right now the government is putting money into housing but it is not measuring the reduction of housing needs, since it allows the money to go to any kind of development. It is only in a housing co op that the members have control over their community he remarked. Our members in more than 2,200 housing co ops across the country push us quite actively to lobby the governments for more co ops for the new generations. They do want to see the same benefits extended to other Canadians. Within the co op itself they are quite active, they attend meetings and help each other in different ways. Also, they usually tend to use other co operatives such as banking co ops more than the typical Canadian does. The way Nicholas Gazzard talked about co operatives throughout the interview showed he strongly believes in this model for affordable housing; he has no doubt that belonging to a community is much more than just having a roof over your head. Almost 100 years of housing co operatives in Canada 1913 First continuing housing co op in Canada for students. 1930s to 1970s Further student housing co ops formed 1930s and 1940s Housing builder co ops formed in Quebec and in Atlantic Canada 1968 The Co operative Housing Foundation of Canada is formed. It convinces federal government to make $30 million available for pilot co op housing projects 1973 Canadian government launches the first program to develop housing co ops for families with differing income levels About 7,700 co op homes are created across Canada under the first program, which ends in ,000 co op homes in mixed income communities are created under the second federal program ,500 units delivered under the third and last federal program 1992 The federal government cancelled the last co op housing program Only Quebec has an active development program today In all, the programs have delivered over 90,000 units in 2,200 Canadian housing co ops. 11

12 SHORT ica NEWS Following a search by Global Recruitment Specialists, the Board of the International Co operative Alliance (ICA) has selected Charles Gould to serve as the organization s Director General. Mr Gould comes to ICA after serving as Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America in the United States, a Washington based health care, housing, and human services organization, where he provided strategic leadership to 16,000 full time staff and directed USD 1 billion in annual turnover. In each of the last five years of his administration he was recognized as one of the fifty most influential leaders in the United States non profit sector. Charles Gould follows Iain Macdonald, who served as Director General during the past eight years and, in anticipation of the changing economic environment, positioned the world co operative movement to take its proper place in the global economy. The ICA Asia Pacific Regional Assembly, which meets once every two years, will have various events related to its 9th Regional Assembly in Beijing, China from 01 to 05 September The events during the above period will bring together the interests of 530 million co operators through their ICA affiliated representatives from 25 countries in the region. The Regional Assembly will deliberate on the emerging opportunities for cooperatives in the aftermath of global economic recession and the considerable resilience shown by leading cooperatives world over, and on the global concerns like climate change, food security and social development. The 9th Regional Assembly for Africa and related meetings which will be held in Maseru, Lesotho, from October The meetings will be held at the Lesotho Convention Centre are being co hosted by the Lesotho Government on behalf of the co operative movement in Lesotho. The theme for this year's Regional Assembly will be Combating Climate Change through Co operatives. Climate change affects all, not the least co operatives that operate in all fields of human endeavor. This theme has been chosen to bring into focus matters of climate change and how co operatives across the continent can respond and start initiatives to mitigate against its adverse effects. Founded on 19 August 1895, the International Co operative Alliance celebrates its 115th anniversary this year. Noteworthy too is ICA Asia Pacific's 50th anniversary this year. The regional office was founded on 14 November ICA continues to increase its membership. Currently, ICA has 245 member organizations from 91 countries, representing more than 800 million individuals worldwide. All of your suggestions and proposals regarding the newsletter s contents are very important for us, since our primary goal is to provide a publication enriched by your opinions. Please send your comments to: communications@aciamericas.coop ICA-Americas Newsletter // Issue Nº 3 // September 2009 An e-publication of International Cooperative Alliance for the Americas (ICA Americas) ICA-Americas is an independent, Newsletter non-governmental // Issue Nº 6 association // September which 2010 unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide Editor: An e-publication Manuel Mariño of International // Realization Co-operative team: Natalia Alliance Acerenza, for the Virginia Americas Pérez (ICA Auza Americas) and Jorge Cabrera (jcse) ICA ICA is an Americas independent, // Contents non-governmental can be reproduced association without which authorization unites, represents on condition and serves that the co-operatives source is indicated worldwide Editor: Manuel Mariño // Realization team: Natalia Acerenza, Virginia Pérez Auza and Jorge Cabrera (jcse) ICA Americas // Contents can be reproduced without authorization on condition that the source is indicated 12