New Delhi : First Time in the 130 years long history of International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the premier body for the Global Cooperative movement, with the initiative of IFFCO, the ICA General Assembly and Global Cooperative Conference will be hosted by India. During ICA Board meeting in Brussels on June 28, 2023, IFFCO proposed hosting the ICA General Assembly and Global Conference in India which was agreed to by the Board members. Further, in meeting held at the headquarters of United Nations Organization (UNO) it was decided that the Global Cooperative Conference in India will also mark the official launch of UN International Year of Cooperatives – 2025. (UN IYC2025)
Shri Amit Shah, Hon’ble Minister of Cooperation, Government of India will grace the event by his august presence on 25th November 2024 at 3 PM. He will chair the inaugural session of the Global Cooperative Conference as the Chief Guest. A commemorative stamp on International Year of Cooperatives – 2025 will also be launched in the event. Hon’ble Prime Minister is also being requested to inaugurate the event.
Mr Jeroen Douglas, DG-ICA informed the press that the event is scheduled to be held from 25th November to 30th November 2024 at Bharat Mandapam, ITPO, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. He said the theme of the event will be ‘Cooperatives Build Prosperity of All’ and the subthemes will be –
Enabling Policy and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Nurturing Purposeful Leadership to Create Prosperity for All
Reaffirming The Cooperative Identity
Shaping the Future: Towards Realizing Prosperity for all in 21st Century.
Mr Jeroen Douglas pressed on the fact that “IFFCO- the host for this event is the prominent partner of ICA and was ranked No. 1 in the World Cooperative Monitor (WCM) rankings for three consecutive years in world (based on Turnover/GDP Per capita).”
He informed that the Hon’ble Prime Minster of Bhutan, President of United Nations Economic Council (UN ECOSOC), President of International Cooperative Alliance, UN Representatives, ICA Members, Luminaries from the Indian Cooperative Movement will be among the 1500 distinguish guests representing over 100 countries are expected to participate in this event.
Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary Ministry of Cooperation informed the press that Theme of the event ‘Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All’ is in line with the Government of India’s slogan of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ which exactly translates to ‘Prosperity through Cooperation’. With the formation of separate Ministry of Cooperation and Shir Amit Shah at the helm of affairs as the first ever Union Cooperation Minister, Indian Cooperative Sector has achieved new milestones achieving greater contribution in the National GDP by launching 54 initiatives for the growth and development of cooperative movement. Whether it be computerization of PACS or formation of three new cooperatives in the sectors where cooperatives didn’t have a national level presence, all these steps have put India at the forefront of the Global Cooperative movement with India becoming one of the fasting growing cooperative sectors.
Dr. U S Awasthi, MD, IFFCO Ltd. said, “The theme of this conference is ‘Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All’ our long-term aim is to build a cooperative movement that is prosperous and secure. We are honoured to host international delegates in our home for an engaging exchange of ideas.”
IFFCO has always kept the interest of the Indian Farmers at its heart. Which is why this Conference will be used to showcase Indian Cooperatives’ products and services in the ‘Haat’ setup with the theme of Indian Village.
Indian Cooperative movement has always been culturally motivated to protect the environment and IFFCO’s subsidiary IFFDC has been among the leading earners of Carbon Credits in the past years. In continuation of this legacy of the Indian Cooperative Movement, this Event will be Carbon neutral. For compensating the possible carbon emissions, 10,000 Peepal (Ficus Religiosa) saplings will be planted.
Leading voice of Women in the Cooperative sector and first organization to reserve seat for woman Director on the Board, IFFCO has committed to encourage maximum participation of women cooperators. Large Networking sessions will be organized to bolster cooperation among Indian Cooperatives and Global Cooperatives which will ensure growth of Coop-to-Coop overseas business.The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is the voice for cooperatives worldwide. It is a non-profit international association established in 1895 to advance the cooperative social enterprise model.