QUEBEC CITY — International co-operative sector leaders met with managers of the world economy in Tokyo last weekend to demand some respect and a voice for their movement.
At a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, International Co-operative Alliance president Dame Pauline Green made a pitch for a co-operative seat at world financial tables.
“We are seeking a seat at the table,” she told an Oct. 11 news conference during the first international co-operatives summit in Quebec City.
“We are an important part of the global economy and yet at the moment, our voice is totally missing.”
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However, a statement from the IMF/World Bank meeting Oct. 13 made no reference to the co-op movement or the call for a seat at future meetings.
“There is a need to secure a sustained recovery from the crisis,” said an IMF statement from the meeting.
“The implementation of credible medium-term fiscal consolidation plans remains critical in many advanced economies. Fiscal policy should be appropriately calibrated to be as growth-friendly as possible.”
Green said the focus on traditional government financial instruments that stimulate traditional market forces ignores the huge potential of the co-operative movement.
“Co-operatives are a viable solution to some of the world’s economic problems,” she said.
At the end of the co-operative summit, a co-op declaration was issued to buttress the argument that the sector should be recognized as a significant world economic player.
It said the global co-operative sector generates close to $2 trillion in revenues and employs 100 million people, but receives little respect from managers of the world economy.
“It is undeniable that considered as a whole, co-operative and mutual businesses represent a social, human and economic powerhouse,” said the declaration.
“But efforts must be made to ensure they gain greater political clout. Important decisions are being made around the world with no consideration of the co-operative movement’s distinctiveness.”
During the end-of-summit news conference, Desjardins Group president Monique Leroux said the summit and the declaration created momentum for the movement.
“It is time to claim our rightful place as an economic force,” she said.
