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Last Updated:
Nov 28, 2009 - 10:00:09 AM
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United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, praises international co-operative movement at International Co-operative Alliance General Assembly in Colombia.
The international cooperative movement - providing more than 100 million jobs and affecting half the world's people through ethical and socially inclusive enterprises - is a major force in reaching the development goals that were the focus of the World Summit, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
"Cooperative values of self-help, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity provide an essential foundation for the meaningful participation of poor people in development processes," Mr. Annan told the International Cooperative Alliance General Assembly in Cartagena Colombia, in a statement delivered by Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
Mr. Annan recalled the importance placed on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) -- the ambitious, internationally-agreed targets for reducing poverty and other ills -- at last week's 2005 World Summit.
"This large and influential movement is well positioned to make major contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular the goal of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015," he said.
The International Co-operative Alliance, founded in 1895, is an independent NGO which represents, connects and serves co-operatives worldwide. It is the largest non-governmental organization in the world.
ICA members are national and international co-operative organisations in all sectors of activity including agriculture, banking, fisheries, health, housing, industry, insurance, tourism and consumer co-operatives. Currently, ICA has 226 member organisations from 89 countries, representing more than 800 million individuals worldwide.
© Copyright 2005 by Victoria Coop News
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