Both the national and international cooperators have been complaining of not getting due representation at the global summits. But here is a piece of good news as for the first time in history, the co-operative sector is being represented at the B20.
The appointment of Dr Andrew Crane, CEO of Australian grain co-operative CBH, is a determined step towards a more just society and a sustainable concept of growth, asserts ICA source.
The importance of B-20 could be gauged from the fact that its meeting will finalise recommendations for the G20 summit. G-20 is a group of the most powerful and rich nations that sets agenda for global goal and directions.
The co-operative sector’s demonstrated resilience in the financial downturn has sparked governments’ interest for co-operatives’ enterprise model and its potential to make the economy more diverse by being an alternative to investor enterprise. Using his co-operative experience, Dr Crane will tie sustainable economic growth to social and environmental considerations when contributing to the B20’s policy recommendations.
At the B20, Andrew Crane will advocate a better balanced type of economy where co-operative businesses counterbalance joint-stock companies, thus improving economic diversity and resiliency in times of crisis.
Dr Crane’s appointment to the Business 20 marks the first time ever a business leader from the co-operative sector joins the B20.
The top 300 co-operatives and mutuals of the world have a turnover of USD 2 trillion, equivalent to the world’s ninth largest economy, while co-operatives generate 20 per cent more jobs than multinational companies.
Dr Andrew Crane: “Co-operatives from global brands like Fonterra, Associated Press and Ocean Spray to the many producer owned businesses supplying Fairtrade products are strong, commercially focused enterprises. They are also focused on their members, which means they are in the business for their members and the local communities where they are based. I am looking forward to the opportunity to share co-operative business ideas to the G20 agenda of promoting growth, creating jobs and building resilience in the global economy.”
Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance: “The B20 success is hugely important for the Alliance. It is a key strand of our advocacy work outlined in the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, which sets out the strategy for the movement until the end of this decade and beyond. The G20 is increasingly dominant in deciding the future direction of the global economy. During the G20 meetings, the voice of the B20 is sought on the key issues under discussion by the leaders of the 20 most important economies in the world. If, as the Blueprint demands, we are to grow the worldwide movement in the coming years, our challenge now is to ensure that when the B20 meets in Brisbane in November 2014, Andrew Crane is not alone in making sure that the co-operative difference is understood and valued.”
Director-General of the Alliance, Charles Gould, also said: “Co-operatives face the same commercial challenges as all businesses and are just as focused on a strong bottom line. However their distinct member-ownership structures contributed to higher levels of resilience during the global financial downturn. International research has demonstrated that co-operatives were particularly resilient in times of economic hardship, and had demonstrated the capacity to minimise job losses and even increase employment in regions hardest hit during the recent downturn such as Italy and Spain.”[2]
Dr Crane is a well-known business executive within the co-operative movement, being CEO of CBH Group, a co-operative which is Australia’s leading grains organisation, dealing with 40% of the nation’s annual grain crop. One of the main speakers at the prestigious International Summit of Co-operatives in Quebec this October, Dr Crane will provide the international forum with an insight into how to grow membership by meeting the changing needs of members. Courtesy : ICA Media Release
