International cooperative alliance and its development programmes

International cooperative alliance
and its development programmes

The ICA was founded in London in 1895. Its members are national and internat ional co-operat ive international co-operative activity including agriculture, banking, energy, industry, insurance, fisheries, housing, tourism and consumer co-operatives. ICA has more than 230 member organisations from over 100 countries, representing more than 730 million individuals worldwide.

In 1946, the ICA was one of the first non-governmental organisations to be accorded United Nations Consultative Status. Today it is one of the forty-one Today it is one of the forty-one consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

ICA'S DEVELOPMENT ROLE
Working from its head office and regional offices, ICA helps to build strong, viable co-operatives in developing countries by acting as a co-ordinator and catalyst of co-operative development.

AIMS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE ALLIANCE
The major objective of the ICA is to promote and strengthen autonomous co-operatives throughout the world. Through actions taken at the international, regional and national levels, the ICA also seeks to:

· promote and protect cooperative values and principles;
· facilitate the development of economic and other mutually beneficial relations between its member organisations;
· further, the economic and social progress of its members and their communities.

In order to achieve its aims, the ICA organises international, regional and sartorial meetings, thus serving as a forum for the exchange of experience and information among its vast membership.

METHODS
Information on all facets of co-operative development, resources and statistics are also collected by the ICA and provided to members and other organisations involved with co-operatives.

The ICA has a documentation centre and produces publications on specialised topics, as well as periodicals, including the ICA's official journals, "Review of International Co-operation" and ""ICA News:.

Through its headquarters and regional Offices, the ICA also provides technical assistance for co-operative development in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern and Central Europe.

Specialised bodies are also created by the ICA to address technical issues in specific economic and social sectors.

The ICA collaborates with the United Nations and its specialised agencies, and nongovernmental organisations with similar aims.

AIMS AND METHODS
The ICA Development Programme has close to forty years of experience. It responds to the needs of co-operatives for techncal assistance in co-operative development. The role of the ICA is to act as a catalyst and coordinator of co-operative development, with the aim of promoting and strengthening autonomous co-operatives throughout the world. The focus of the ICA programmes, based on the expressed priorities of its members, is:

· institution building, human resource development, women's integration, strategic planning.
· influencing Governments in order to create favourable environments for co-operative development, including organising regional level ministerial conferences to sensitise government leaders on the role of co-operatives;
· networking and promoting the exchange of experience and movement -to-movement assistance;
· mobilising financial resources for co-operative development

ICA'S ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
Governing Bodies
In October 1992, the ICA membership approved a new decentralised structure for the alliance, which provides for the following governing bodies: the General Assembly, Regional Assemblies the Board, and the Audit and Control Committee. The General Assembly is the highest authority of the ICA, bringing together representatives from all member organisations every two years to formulate policies on the major issues affecting the organisation and the movement worldwide. The General Assembly also approves the work programme and budget.

SPECIALIZED BODIES
ICA specialised organisations (for business sectors) and committees (for non-commercial sectors) are established by and report to the ICA General Assembly. These specialised bodies collaborate with the ICA in practical ways and assist in making policy decisions. There are currently ten specialised organisations in the fields of banking, insurance, trade, consumer co-operatives, agriculture, fisheries, housing, worker's co-ops, energy and tourism. Specialised committees exist in the field of communications, research and development, education and training, and women in co-operatives.

ICA OFFICES
The Head Office of the ICA is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The ICA development programme is coordinated by the development department in Geneva and implemented through the Regional Offices.

Regional Offices have been established for East, Central and Southern Africa, West Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, project offices are opened where there is a specific need. These offices implement ICA development programmes and represent members within the region. The regional offices report to the head office.

PARTNERS AND BUDGET
In order to implement its activities, the ICA collaborates with approximately 30 international and national development agencies and national government ministries. These partners support the ICA development programme through the provision of financial and technical assistance. In 1993, the total budget for the develop ment programme reached approximately CHF 9 million.

From Sahakar Srijan