Thursday marked the end of the third International Summit of Cooperatives at the Québec City Convention Centre in which more than a dozen speakers and 2,950 participants from 116 countries, and some 60 domestic and foreign media representatives took part. This year the focus was on “the power to act”.
This edition demonstrated the vigour and scope of the range of actions available to cooperatives and mutuals, which account for more than 2.6 million businesses, 1.3 billion members and close to 15% of the world’s economy. For many speakers, the true power of cooperatives stems from their long-term vision, their collaborative spirit, and the integration of social progress with economic success, three factors that are shaping tomorrow’s economy.
During three days filled with constructive debates, the exchanges were fuelled by enlightening discussions about the key global issues as seen by some of the leading economic thinkers, including Nobel Laureate in Economics Joseph Stiglitz, US economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin, eminent opinion leader Robert Reich, Founder and Managing Director of FSGMark Kramerand global advisor in innovation and leadership Navi Radjou.
The participants naturally addressed the challenges specific to cooperatives and mutuals, including the capacity to act on the real economy, the growing role of women in positions of leadership, new business practices and issues in different sectors. The discussions were enhanced by input provided by several distinguished representatives of the cooperative and business sectors.
Cooperatives also reaffirmed their capacity to contribute to sustainable development. This is the first time that an international economic group has committed to support the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
This session began with an exchange involving UN ambassadors of several countries including Germany, Canada, Ecuador, Mongolia, United States and others. To crystallize this collective effort, the resulting commitments and initiatives will be broadcast on Co-ops for 2030 in order to mobilize the entire cooperative and mutual sector.
“It is clear that together, cooperatives can contribute to sustainable prosperity. The ideas and proposals put forward during this brainstorming session, as well as during the numerous Summit activities, attest to our movement’s vitality. The quality of interventions at the round tables, presentations and workshops was frequently mentioned by the Summit participants. I am very proud of the success of this event, which constitutes a true springboard to the future,” indicated Monique F. Leroux, President of the International Summit of Co-operatives and Summit co-host.
“I leave this Summit with renewed determination to make more room for young people as members, employees and managers in our cooperatives,” noted Desjardins Group President and CEO Guy Cormier. “That is one of the keys to remaining relevant in our markets and to forging ahead in the digital era.
-based on press release
