In a noteworthy development recently the Presidium, International Raiffeisen Union board, and President Franky Depickere have expressed their solidarity with the poor women cooperators of the Indian Cooperative Network for Women, their loss of livelihoods and lives in recent floods in South India.
It is the first time ever that major international cooperative networks have taken note of the ‘impact of climate change on the poor. The IRU is the oldest Cooperative Union in the world with members from 53 countries, informs a press release.
Thanking them on the occasion, Dr Nandini Azad, global board member of the International Raiffeisen Union underlined the role of the Indian Cooperative Network for Women (ICNW) and Working Women’s Forum (India)(WWF-I) in tackling the challenge of human misery in South India.
Dr. Azad appreciated the gesture of IRU President Franky Depickere and Secretary-General Andreas Kappes who had congratulated ICNW for holding the parallel event of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW65) in March 2021.
Dr. Azad also thanked IRU and their team for making a short film on the founder Raiffeisen daughter’s role and contributions to women in the global cooperative movement.
In her presentation on the cooperative movement in India, Dr Azad said the New Cooperative Ministry in India headed by Amit Shah has announced plans to help primary cooperatives at the village level accomplish a great deal.
Azad discussed multiple suggestions she had made regarding the pandemic in a meeting held by India’s Think Tank Niti Aayog on ”Just Recovery”. She also mentioned activities undertaken by women cooperators working with her to deal with the corona pandemic.
In the meeting she highlighted that health is not the only solution to counter Covid-19 but financial inclusion is most critical/important. “No money; no food; the poor women often could not go for vaccinations as they would lose a day’s wages. A new dimension to cooperatives and financial inclusion into the health and pandemic policy of the country i.e., “Just recovery process” is very vital she emphasized.
She also spoke about the Indian Cooperative Network for Women (ICNW)’s Covid Heroines, that is micro entrepreneurs “women warriors” program who were fighting against the pandemic i.e., Covid -19. The winners were given awards i.e., 35 year loanees that had never defaulted in their loan repayments, nor asked for moratorium but rescheduling. They were vegetable vendors/hawkers/micro entrepreneurs who had educated their children into engineers, MBA and doctors apart from diversified business due to their long term engagement with ICNW.
Korbinian Marx, IRU Coordinator highlighted the next years program and the success of “the IRU connect program (with 7 members of IRU organizations). Raiffeisen Ambassadors training program was to be held jointly with CERA, Belgium, the impact of social media to propagate the values, beliefs of founder Raiffeisen had been very successful in the year of lockdowns. The meeting ended with thanks to the Chair, Secretary General, Coordinator, Members, DGRV and others.
Several cooperative functionaries including Secretary-General IRU Kappes, Madam Daniela Bas, UN focal point on cooperatives, Director UNDESA, Ms Simel Esim, ILO Head of cooperatives, and others took part in the event.