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COPAC members prepare materials for the International Day of Cooperatives which are included in a press pack published published annually by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). The press pack will be released at the end of June. Copies will be available on request from the ICA Secretariat.
The following materials are presently available:
| COPAC Contributes to Discussion on Policy and Cooperative Legislation |
In 1996, the United Secretary-General was requested by the UN General Assembly in its resolution, A/RES/51/58 to: "...ascertain, in cooperation with the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives, the desirability and feasibility of elaborating United Nations guidelines aimed at creating a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives and to include his findings and recommendations in his report..."
At the 56th COPAC Meeting in late 1996, members discussed the implications of the resolution and agreed that Guidelines were both desirable and feasible. A first draft of COPAC recommendations for Guidelines was prepared in May, 1997 and reviewed at the COPAC Consultation Meeting on UN Guidelines on Government Policy Concerning Cooperatives by COPAC member organizations and selected cooperative experts and cooperative development practitioners.
A revised draft was reviewed at the 57th COPAC Meeting where the proposed Guidelines Aimed at Creating a Supportive Environment for the Development of Cooperatives were approved in December, 1997. This document was made available in both printed and electronic format to ensure wide dissemination to ensure that the final document would reflect the wider of view of the movement.
On 20 October 1998, the COPAC Board amended the Guidelines taking into consideration all suggested changes. It approved a new and final version which was transmitted to the United Nations.
The United Nations Secretary-General included the Guidelines submitted by COPAC as an annex in his report on cooperatives - Status and role of cooperatives in the light of new economic and social trends (A/54/57) issued on 23 December 1998.
The Guidelines set out a series of recommendations that should be considered when establishing a policy regarding cooperatives and the cooperative movement. These include public recognition of the cooperative movement; legal, judicial and administrative provisions; research, statistics and information; education; provision of public funds; and institutional arrangements for collaboration and partnership.
The report was submitted for consideration to the United Nations Commission on Social Development in February 1999. No government voiced any objection to the Guidelines. The report will now be considered by the UN General Assembly's 54th Session for review and possible adoption.
COPAC reiterates the call of the ICA for cooperatives world-wide to inform their governments that they support the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the Status and Role of Co-operatives, and to urge their governments to be prepared to discuss the Report when it comes before the UN General Assembly in the autumn of 1999.
| In order to facilitate distribution of the UN Secretary-General's report, COPAC (with permission from the UN) has made the English version of the document available in HTML format (with other language versions soon to be available). http://www.copac.coop/a-54-57.htm The official UN document A/54/57 is available on the UN web site in PDF format (requiring Acrobat Reader) at the following addresses: English: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/a5457e.pdf French: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/a5457f.pdf Spanish: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/a5457f.pdf Arabic, Chinese and Russian language versions are available from the United Nations Secretariat. |
| COPAC Links Web Sites on Cooperative Legislation |
COPAC has included a web page on its site which links to the texts of cooperative legislation. This brings together the excellent legislative databases maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOLEX) and the International Labour Office (NATLEX), both of which are accessible via the Internet. Links are also included to governmental and cooperative web sites which have included national legislation and policy. Links point to abstracts and where available full texts of the regulation or law.
| http://www.copac.coop/legislation.htm |
Materials provided by COPAC to past celebrations of the UN International Day of Cooperatives:
COPAC Home | COPAC Members| COPAC Meetings | Publications and Information | International Day of Cooperatives | Cooperative Policy and Legislation | Cooperative Development Projects | Site Map | Search
Comments or questions? Contact the COPAC Coordinator.
Posted: 14 July 1999 -- Links updated: 12 December 2006
