International development

COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS – WHO ARE THEY? 
Cooperatives and cooperative support organizations that support and/or implement development projects outside their home countries.

“Cooperatives are a unique and invaluable presence in today’s world. They help to reduce poverty and generate jobs.”

~ Ban Ki-moon, previous UN Secretary-General

HISTORY

Cooperatives for international development have gradually become a key workstream in the work of Cooperatives Europe. The first entry point was the establishment of the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP) in 2008 as a Working Group on international cooperative development formed by 10 members of CE engaged in development cooperation projects in developing countries (see below). Later, in 2012, as a result of the achievements in EU Advocacy by the group, Cooperatives Europe signed its ever first partnership with the European Commission. This not only marked the beginning of an ever-growing engagement with the EU institutional landscape but also occurred in a very special year for cooperatives.

First, the UN declared 2012 the First International Year of Cooperatives, recognising their leading role in economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Working together through local, national, regional, and international structures, cooperatives build a global network across sectors ranging from small-scale to multi-national businesses.

Second, the same year, the European Union implemented a deep paradigm shift in its development policy to increase the focus on civil society organisations as essential development actors. The EU Commission Communication “The Roots of Democracy and Sustainable Development: Europe’s Engagement with Civil Society in External Relations, also endorsed in 2013 by a European Parliament Resolution, clarified the EU definition of CSOs to include cooperatives among civil society partners in international development actions. Furthermore, it explicitly recognised the role of cooperatives “in promoting entrepreneurship and job creations by mobilising grassroots communities, delivering services and stimulating income generating activities for the poor and marginalised”.

Finally, it pointed at the distinctive dual nature of cooperatives as business enterprises on the one hand, and as membership-based associations organised for collective action on the other. A new communication from the EU Commission in 2014, A Stronger Role of the Private Sector in Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Countries, further strengthened the role of cooperatives in development actions by additionally and for the first time recognising them as important actors in the private sector.

In March 2016, words were put into action – Cooperatives Europe and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) signed the first Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the European Commission (also known as #coops4dev), ushering in a new phase of collaboration on strengthening the cooperative movement as international development actors. This Partnership clearly defined cooperatives as People-centred businesses for international development. Through the first EU-ICA FPA, the European cooperative movement, jointly with its counterparts from Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, implemented several research, advocacy and projects on international cooperative development worldwide. The overwhelmingly positive rate of implementation recorded in the first cycle triggered the interest of the EU Commission to renew the partnership. In fact, on April 12th,2024 the second EU-ICAFPA was launched for a duration of 4.5 years.

Acting as partners, Cooperatives Europe, and the ICA Regional and Global offices will be implementing 30 activities across research, advocacy, and communication to further enhance the role of cooperatives in international development cooperation, to strengthen the cooperative voice in international development programmes and policies, and in collaboration with members, sectors, civil society organisations, international institutions.

On 17th of May 2017, the European Union adopted the new Consensus on Development. The document is a joint agreement among the most important EU Institutions – Commission, Parliament and Council, and is the outcome of extensive consultations with civil society, during which Cooperatives Europe played a leading role (read the full press release here). The Consensus provides the framework for a common approach to development policy by the EU Institutions and the EU Member States, guiding their action in their cooperation with all partner countries, in line with the UN Agenda2030. The Document mentioned cooperatives in three distinct paragraphs:

• Cooperatives are best positioned to sustainably deliver local services, playing a key role in poverty eradication;
• The creation of coops should be prioritised in the agricultural sector thanks to their environmental-friendly approach and drivers of food security
• Cooperatives are key partners in the implementation of the Agenda2030 thanks to their wider reach of the most vulnerable and marginalized.

OVERVIEW OF COOPERATIVE EUROPE’S WORK ON INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

• Cooperatives in Development (2012-2016) 
• Framework Partnership Agreement I – ICA-EU Partnership (2016-2022) 
• Framework Partnership Agreement II – ICA-EU Partnership (2024-2028) 

The cooperative model for sustainable development is widely and globally recognised, starting with the ILO Recommendation 193.

Cooperatives Europe is strongly committed to the Istanbul Principles (2010) on CSOs, including cooperatives, as key development actors.

COOPERATIVES EUROPE DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM (CEDP)

The Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP) was established in 2008 as a Working Group on international cooperative development with a pure advocacy mandate. Its main goal was to gather expertise on development cooperation from the European Cooperative Movement to inform EU International Development Policy and Programming.

Key activities included: dialogue with the EU institutions, providing decision-makers with input and data from grass-roots cooperatives to support coherent EU policy-making and strategic planning, and advocating for greater visibility of cooperatives within EU policies.

The CEDP mandate has evolved over time, also to better respond to the changing EU development policy landscape. In fact, the work of the CEDP was so impactful that it led to a first paradigm shift in the EU Commission’s programming. That is, cooperatives were finally recognised as key socio-economic and development actors, and their nature as simultaneously private sector and civil society actors was seen as an added value.

The International Cooperative Alliance acknowledged the sustainable development impact of the CEDP, so much so that it decided to launch a Global Cooperative Development Platform (GCDP; now ICADP with legal status of ICA Committee) in October 2016 during the International Summit of Co-operatives. The CEDP represents the expertise of Cooperatives Europe in international development within the International Cooperative Alliance Development Platform (ICADP).

Within the second ICA-EU Framework Partnership Agreement (2024-2028), the Board of Cooperatives Europe has decided to reform the CEDP, with the main goal of having a fully operational working group with an enlarged and more representative European membership. The reformed CEDP will hold an advisory role to Cooperatives Europe on the impact of the European Union’s international development policy on cooperatives across Europe. Moreover, it will

• assist CE’s EU Advocacy work, with regular contacts with the European Parliament’s Committees on Development (DEVE) and Employment (EMPL);
• act as a platform of exchange for its members to share knowledge and best practices on how they will promote and implement the EU agenda at the national level, based on their thematic expertise. In this regard, the CEDP will provide an opportunity for its members to scale up their national work and campaigns at a European level.

Coming from diverse sectors, its members come together through regular meetings – usually every 4 months – to share their expertise in complementary fields: cooperative financing, agricultural cooperative development, cooperative law, etc. Their activities include policy, research and projects, as well as training programs for partners in developing countries.

Current membership: Cera-BRS (BE), Confcooperative-Coopermondo (IT), The Co-operative College (UK), DGRV (DE), Euro Coop (EU), Kooperationen (DK), Legacoop – Halieus (IT), ResCoop(EU), WeEffect (SE).