4th Meeting of Agencies Involved in Cooperative Development

19-20 January 2005
Centre Français de Berlin, Berlin (Germany)

Agenda (pdf) -- Summary Conclusions (pdf)

The annual meeting of cooperative development agencies was in 2005 convened for the first time by COPAC. The meeting was chaired jointly by Jo-Anne Fergusson of the Canadian Cooperative Association (CCA) and Lennart Hjalmarson of the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC).

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS

Aim of the Meeting

Explore possibilities and commitment for collaboration among international cooperative development agencies and to develop action plan for a joint initiative(s).

Major Actors in Cooperative Development

Participants identified major actors in cooperative development by type of organization – cooperative development agencies, specialized international agencies and NGOs involved in promoting cooperatives. See Annex 1 for complete listing.

To understand each other better, agencies provided information on their sources of funding to see if they compete for funds, but also if the funding sources could represent barriers to collaboration – differences in reporting needs, methodologies, accountability, etc. Sources of funding including own funds through cooperatives, matching government funds, and funds through international financial institutions and the European Union. Annex 2 lists the information provided.

Co-operating among agencies

Participants also agreed that collaboration would need to be selective to find a mutually beneficial level of cooperation.

They discussed various models of collaboration reviewing including that of the trade union movement, Oxfam, and Red Cross. The issue of common branding was also discussed.

Finding Synergies

Participants agreed that a mapping exercise was needed. What we do well; what needs we do we know about; where do we complement each other?

As a first step, agencies agreed to share the following information:

• List of core competencies
• Mission statements
• Countries and sectors in which they work
• Cross-cutting themes: gender, environment, poverty reduction

Using the ICA sectors, participants began mapping out where each agency was present (see Annex 3: Excel file). Participants also agreed to complete/ correct the information.

Participant also noted that each agency had interest in dissipating the "bad name" of cooperatives and that this could be an area in which collaboration would be most useful. Note was made again of the 1993 World Bank study which was critical of cooperatives and the need to prove to the international community that cooperatives do work well in a competitive environment.

Tsunami Reconstruction: Test of possibilities of collaboration

Participants agreed that the Tsunami reconstruction offered the possibility of testing the ability of agencies to work together now.

Participants agreed to set up a FORUM whose main goal would be to avoid duplication at the least and seek to find ways to collaborate. The Forum would:

• Collect and exchange information and,
• Promote collaboration for more effective impact and reach of reconstruction assistance in response to Asian disaster

It was further agreed that:

• ICA circulate information provided by agencies (using their website and other information channels as appropriate to inform/encourage others to participate).
  

  Information should be sent the ICA Tsunami Reconstruction Coordinator. ICA will send a quarterly reminder to agencies.

• Agencies (SCC, CCA, Co-ops UK, ICMIF, ILO, FAO, IFAP) provide on-going information, and use the circulated information to determine assistance.

  Agencies are also responsible for using the information to improve or complement the effectiveness of their work and avoid duplication. In project design, agencies will include in-country collaboration, including sharing of lessons learned, co-op expertise and access, documentation of the impact of international cooperative assistance in reconstruction.

Each agency could use the information circulated to show the international scope of the assistance provided by the Cooperative Movement.

Agencies further shared information on missions to gather information and to undertake a needs assessment:

Note was made that UN response – preliminary proposal – does not include a cooperative component and that cooperative advocacy was needed. It was suggested that missions meet with local UN offices. Continued advocacy at the national level was also needed to ensure that government funds would be directed at cooperative development.

Participants then briefly listed their priorities in the reconstruction:

ICA agreed to undertake a needs assessment with the funds donated for the ICA Appeal for the Victims of the Devastating Tsunami. The assessment would assist agencies in the design of projects.

Finally, it was agreed that the next meeting of agencies would include an evaluation of successfulness of the Forum.

Longer-term Collaboration

Participants identified a series of activities which would be mutually beneficial and where agencies could see value in coming together. These were issues to be explored more fully in the longer term.

• Research on cooperatives, development methodologies, etc
• Lessoned learned including on issues such as fundraising, etc.)
• Peer assessment
• Advocacy with IFAD, WB and multilateral organisations

Further discussion on specific proposals would need to be formulated. In this regard, the possibility of COPAC leadership was noted.

COPAC: Agencies Membership

COPAC members introduced COPAC. They noted that opening COPAC’s membership to agencies involved in cooperative development could be mutually beneficial. COPAC was a platform with special recognition in the United Nations system that currently had a policy coordinating, advocacy and information role. COPAC convened meetings on key themes of interest to cooperatives, prepared publications, and collected information on cooperative legislation and cooperative development initiatives. COPAC offered agencies the opportunity to join as members of COPAC and work together with UN agencies, ICA, and IFAP to set a programme of work to undertaken activities that individually would not be undertaken, or where working together would be most effective.

Participants noted that legal policy and mapping the contribution of cooperatives in such areas of microfinance could be areas that COPAC could be effective. The issuing of new report to refute the World Bank conclusions of 1993 was also mentioned. The independent role of COPAC could also be useful in coordinating technical assistance to promote synergies and closer partnerships among agencies.

It was agreed that a proposal for COPAC membership would be sent to agencies and would include a proposed membership contribution level of payment.

Conclusion

It was agreed that COPAC would convene the next meeting of agencies in January 2006 in Asia. A two-day meeting would be planned including a day with southern partners on lessons learned in Tsunami reconstruction process.

Please contact COPAC for more information on the meeting - copac@coop.org.

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Updated: 10 January 2006