G20 deliberations: Co-operators intend showcasing co-ops’ primacy

International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) organized a virtual meeting on the theme “Cooperatives’ Engagement G20 discussion during the 2023 Indian G20 presidency” recently in which National Cooperative Union of India President Dileep Sanghani, ICA-AP President Chandra Pal Singh Yadav were present, among others.

Other Indian participants were IFFCO’s Cooperative Relations Director Santosh Shukhla and NCUI Deputy CE Savitri Singh. Howard Brodsky, the Chairperson of the G-20 Working Group and CEO of CCA Global Partners in the US, Director General of ICA and co-operators officers from Italy, Indonesia, and ICA attended the meeting.

In his speech, ICA-AP President Chandra Pal Singh said, “This is a great opportunity for India to be the G-20 Presidency. India plans to showcase its economic, social, and cultural achievements during its Presidency”.

“Cooperatives are an important part of India’s growth story. The cooperative movement in India dates back to 1904 and plays a major role in India’s economy. With 98% coverage in rural India, cooperatives are the backbone of the rural economy ensuring sustainable livelihoods and income for people. With almost 8.5 lakh cooperatives, the movement comprises 21.7% of the Indian population and provides direct employment to 13.3% of the population”, he informed.

Yadav said further “In the 2022 top 300 rankings based on the ratio of turnover over GDP per capita, IFFCO and GCMMF stand at 1 st and 2nd ranks respectively. KRIBHCO is ranked at 6 th position. ULCCS from South India featured in the Top 10 sectoral rankings”.

“India would like to learn from their experiences and make its best efforts to position cooperatives in the G20 task forces and engagement groups such as B20, C20, W20, and Y20. We will get in touch with the Sherpas and Chairs to get on to Engagement Groups. We will plan to organize events with ICA members in India and other actors to showcase our work and promote cooperatives & contributions and impact on society to be included in B20 and C20 recommendations”, Yadav noted who is also the Chairman of Kribhco.

In his address, NCUI President Dileep Sanghani said, “This a good opportunity for the Indian Cooperative Movement to take lead and engage with the G- 20 Secretariat to negotiate recognition for the cooperative business model and to provide appropriate space for the G- 20 and C- 20 platforms”.

“In 2021, the ICA Global Board approved having a Cooperative Working Group for ICA members to engage in the G-20 discussions in a more coordinated way to enhance the participation and recognition of cooperatives’ contributions to sustainable development by the world’s largest economies”, Sanghani added.

The theme of India’s G20 Presidency is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will take place on 9th-10th September 2023 in New Delhi.