הועידה
ה- 14 של מרכז הקואופרציה
קהל רב של חברי קואופרטיבים, ותיקים וחדשים,
חברי תנועות נוער וקבוצות שיתופיות, צוות משרד רשם האגודות השיתופיות וציבור אוהדי
רעיון הקואופרציה - מילא את האולם בכפר המכבייה עם פתיחת ועידת הקואופרציה ה- 14.
היה מרשים לראות את הצבע הכחול שולט כמעט באולם - החולצות הכחולות של נהגי
"אגד" מול החולצות הכחולות של חברי הנוער העובד והלומד והשומר הצעיר.
פתח את הועידה מיכה ברנר, יו"ר מרכז
הקואופרציה, אשר הציג את המודל השיתופי כרלוונטי בהווה ובעתיד וכאלטרנטיבה חשובה
בעידן הכלכלה החופשית. שר התמ"ת, אלי ישי, ראשון המברכים, הביע את תמיכתו ואמונו בקואופרציה, כשיטה
כלכלית בעלת תוכן חברתי והבטיח לקדם את הנושא.
אורח הכבוד של הועידה היה נשיא ICA - ברית הקואופרציה הבינלאומית, איבנו ברבריני, אשר הגיע במיוחד
מאיטליה לכבד את הועידה בנוכחותו. ברבריני ברך את הועידה בשם 800 מיליון חברי
התנועה הקואופרטיבית העולמית. תנועה התורמת לכלכלה ולפיתוח בצד הדאגה לצדק החברתי
ולפיתוח האנושי. דאגה לאחריות החברתית בעולם הגלובלי, שמציינת אותו הבריחה
מאחריות. שילוב ההצלחה הכלכלית עם הערכים החברתיים - הוא טעם הקיום של הקואופרטיב.
שלום, צדק חברתי, חירות וסולידריות - הן אבני הבניין להשתתפות אחראית בפיתוח
האנושות. התנועה העולמית אינה מתעלמת מהמצב המסובך באזור זה של העולם ובטוחה
שהקהילה הבינלאומית צריכה לעשות יותר לקידום השלום ולמיגור הטרור ותרבות המוות.
יותר מתמיד עומדת היום התנועה הקואופרטיבית בפני אתגרי המודרניות ועליה לשמור על
איזון בין ערכי הקואופרטיב לבין אסטרטגיות
של תחרות. לשמור על החבר במרכז, על שקיפות ותקשורת. על בניית שוק חופשי שבו התחרות
מבוססת על ערכים ולא רק על מחירים. על עידוד חברים צעירים להוכיח אנרגיות בריאות גם
במצבים קשים. עתיד התנועה הקואופרטיבית תלוי באנשי הקואופרציה הנחושים והמאמינים
בסולידריות ובחברה טובה יותר.
עו"ד אורי זליגמן, רשם האגודות השיתופיות
היה הדובר הבא והתייחס לקידום האגודות והתיקונים בחקיקה הנוגעת לאגודות השיתופיות.
יו"ר מזכירות אג"ד, גדעון מזרחי, הביא את ברכת הקואופרטיב הגדול בישראל.
ד"ר יהודה פז תיאר את היות הקואופרטיב מחובר לרשת גלובלית מחד - ולקהילה
המקומית, הלאומית, מאידך ואת חשיבותו בעולם המשתנה. רמי מנדל, מנכ"ל קואופ'
ישראל, הביא את ברכת הרשת, שהפכה לאחרונה לרשת השלישית בגדלה בישראל. אחרון
המברכים היה אלישע שפירא, נציג התנועה הקיבוצית, אשר הביא את דבר האגודות
השיתופיות הכפריות/חקלאיות והדגיש
שהקואופרציה נחוצה ונכונה היום יותר מאי פעם. דרושה היום התחדשות של
הקואופרציה בכל המגזרים.
לאחר נאומי הברכות התחלק הקהל בין שני חדרים:
בחדר אחד המשיכו צירי ועידת הקואופרציה בדיונים ובבחירות למוסדות מרכז הקואופרציה.
בחדר השני התקיים מושב של חברי המועצה לאיגוד שיתופי. שני הציבורים התלכדו שוב
לארוחת צוהריים, שסיימה את הועידה. טוב היה לפגוש, בין קהל ותיקי הקואופרטיבים, גם
את הפנים החדשות של חברי קואופרטיבים שקמו לאחרונה: נשות "נשים וטעמים במבצר
אופקים" מהנגב, נשות "אומניות הגליל", חברי "סביבון"
מירושלים ועוד. איבטחו את האירוע, כמובן, אנשי קואופרטיב "שומר ישראל".
קהל המשתתפים הגדול והמגוון נתן תחושה שיש עתיד לרעיון האגודה השיתופית.
הועידה תמה - אך הצוות המוביל המשיך ללוות את האורח, נשיא ICA איבנו ברבריני, לפגישות עם שר התמ"ת אלי ישי ועם שר הרווחה יצחק (בוז'י) הרצוג. בארוחות החגיגיות שנערכו לכבוד האורח בערב הועידה בתל-אביב ולמחרת בירושלים, השתתפו חברים רבים מאנשי הקואופרטיבים, רשם האגודות, ראשי תנועות הקיבוצים והמושבים. פגישת הפרידה נערכה עם חברי הנהלת אג"ד בקרית נמל התעופה, למחרת הועידה. משם יצא האורח לדרכו בחזרה לאיטליה. מר ברבריני נהנה להיות שרוי בין חברים והודה מאוד על קבלת הפנים החמה.
רשמה: אילנה
לפידות.
The Central Union of Co-operative Annual Conference
Tel Aviv, 18 June 2008
Address by
Ivano Barberini, President, International Co-operative Alliance
Honourable Guests, Ladies and Gentleman, Dear
Friends,
I am very grateful for
your invitation to participate in this important Conference and very happy to
meet so many friends and co-operators in
this beautiful, but unfortunately troubled country.
In talking about the
cooperative enterprise, we must remember that is a part of a community due to its
historical development and, at the same time, it is part of a co-operative
movement which, globally, numbers 800 million members and 100 million employees
- a movement involving people and enterprises committed to offering their
contribution to an economic growth that
creates justice and true human development all over the world.
We see that the main factor that discriminates
one form of enterprise from another is that of the ethic of responsibility, and
regarding this, we know that a significant part of a co-operative’s
distinctiveness relates to its social responsibility. Instead, for the drivers
of globalization we find the exact opposite as they practice the “art of
escaping social responsibilities”. This, of course, undoubtedly gives them a
competitive edge.
Global capitalism sets the rules of our world
today, representing a threat to the local and traditional - as described by
Rabbi and philosopher, Jonathan Sacks, a few years ago.
Our probable failure to reach
the Millennium Development Goals, the risks to the environment and their
repercussions, also the economic ones, the many armed conflicts and the threat
of terrorism, all reveal the vital need to adopt a long-term responsibility
towards our planet.
We cannot divorce economic
development from the ethic of responsibility in solving the problems of social
exclusion and in overcoming the new inequalities in our societies.
Its for this reason that
modern society needs the co-operative movement. Economic development involves
all aspects of society, requiring the commitment and responsibility of all
citizens. By its very nature and because of the aims it pursues, co-operation
has undergone a renewal of its raison d’être and its views on
development.
This is what being united in
the International Co-operative Alliance means.
Internationally,
the co-operative movement represents a complex reality, in all economic sectors
and made up of many small organizations, as well as large enterprises.
Throughout their long lives,
the different types of cooperatives have had to face and overcome many
difficult crises, updating their strategies to market changes, but, at the same
time, adhering to their basic values. This ability has enabled our movement to
grow all over the world, showing a strong and long-lasting vitality.
However, the co-operative
enterprise has a future only if it is able to influence the dominant culture,
to strengthen its image, social visibility and its economic performance in a
globalised economy and in a borderless world.
This must motivate the unity
among co-operators and give rise to the renewal of our organization - as
decided by the ICA Special General Assembly held in
On-going change in
Thanks to this wide
participation, despite the very limited resources, global ICA is involved in
several important activities aimed at building a more effective organization
able to be consistent with its vision and to achieve its mission and its
strategy .:.
Far from being an obstacle to
competitive performance, co-operative identity, if carefully and regularly
strengthened, is an essential resource to compete on the market. It is the
basis to ensure a long-lasting loyalty from members, users and employees. Economic
competition, as well as, a competition based on values are increasingly
becoming equally important in the globalised reality.
The moral lesson passed on by
the humble Rochdale Pioneers, in setting up the first truly successful
co-operative in 1844, is as high in the virtue of the emotions stirred up by
the circumstances in which their initiative grew.
Their merit consists above
all, in the faith, perseverance and unity of their actions.
Both ideal and material
merged into a system of values which had the strength to launch a clear
message, showing how, from nothing, or nearly nothing, a huge amount of energy
can be harnessed, producing unimaginable results.
The values they passed on to
us are based on the centrality of the human being, on self-determination,
solidarity, on associated enterprise and social cohesion.
They are inalienable rights,
because they are the raison d’être of the co-operative enterprise.
This consideration brings us
back to the time when co-operation, in many countries, was revived from the
ruins of World War II.
There was, at that time, in
the re-birth of the co-operative movement, a strong innovative drive, supported
by a true loyalty, courage, passion and spirit of sacrifice, with the hope of
building a better world.
There was the aspiration to
fulfil, through co-operatives, the needs of all citizens, in business and
society.
In other words, there was the
desire for co-operation to be recognized as a leading player in the building or
re-building of one’s own country.
In the following half a
century the world and the co-operative movement have changed. However, the need
to merge the economic value and social values has not changed.
Co-operation has learned to
act, looking for non-ideological convergences, and without expecting other
organizations or bodies to give up their identities.
It has recognized the
importance of reaching agreements and carrying out initiatives with other
organizations, on the basis of shared objectives. This is not only pragmatism.
Rather, I should add – there is no pragmatism at all. But, the idea of freedom,
of accepting diversity, the value of dialogue and reciprocal respect. These
essential traits unite co-operators all around the world.
Peace, social justice, freedom and solidarity
are the building blocks of co-operation. They represent the foundations for an
active and responsible participation, aimed at continuously renewing ways to
achieve true human development.
War - wrote Bertrand Russell - is the extreme
form of competition, while co-operation is the natural companion to peace.
Thus, we need to replace the turbulent
relationships between people, societies and States with relationships based on
co-operation, open to understanding the reasons and thinking of “others”.
With this in mind, we cannot
turn our backs on the serious situation tormenting this area of the world, so
important for those who live here, and for the world, as a whole.
Terrorism and its atrocities
are acts against humanity, they belong to a culture of death and contempt for
life and, therefore, must be fought with a strong hand and the necessary means.
The safety of people, freedom
and the future of the world are at stake.
Peace and freedom from fear
are fundamental and strongly inter-related human rights,.
Our co-operators look on in
horror and with anxiety at the lives lost on both sides in a conflict that
appears to have no end.
I know that the situation is
incredibly complex and difficult.
However, peace, together with
security, is the only road we can take.
Rita Levi-Montalcini, 99
years old, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine, still actively involved in
scientific research and social activity, has recently said: "my strongest
desire is to achieve peace in the
Many share in this belief,
but it will fall on barren ground unless the international community develops
wider and more common actions able to come up with a solution where people can
live together civilly and in peace.
To achieve this, economic
development and job creation play an important role.
They contribute in improving
the quality of life and the dignity of people, as well as in maintaining
international peace.
However, without peace,
economic development cannot be achieved. It is a vicious circle, which, if not
interrupted, ends up in giving rise to new conflicts.
Everywhere, we see that
humanitarian aid is proving to be of little effect. Instead, the way forward is
through helping to build “systems”, capable of self-regeneration, and thus,
promoting promote a true and lasting improvement in the living conditions of
people in the poorer countries. This means facilitating the access to
knowledge, encouraging training for young leaders and ensuring adequate
assistance, especially in the start-up phase of the co-operative.
Managing a co-operative
enterprise is not easy - it requires a skillful integration of leadership and
good management, as well as knowledge, courage, passion and teamwork.
On behalf of
This culture should
considerer that Values must be the true drivers of the co-operative. We know
that the effective mix of entrepreneurial performance and social goals is the
real raison d’être of the co-operatives. .
This culture of enterprise is
a decisive resource and its absence can result in the temptation to participate
in the market as other ordinary companies, causing serious damage to the
reputation of the co-operative involved and to co-operation in general. The
problem is still there.
In fact, today, the term
“enterprise” is still often separated from the term “co-operative”.
In this regard,
Recommendation n. 193/2002 for the promotion of co-operatives, approved by the
ILO General Assembly is extremely important. It is a result achieved also
thanks to the tenacious and intelligent work of a great co-operator and dear
friend of mine, Yehudah Paz. I would like to take the opportunity to heartily
thank him for the great contribution he has given to the work and strengthening
of the
Two years ago, Yehuda was
awarded the Golden Dove Peace Award by an International Research Institute for
the study on disarmament, peace and security, ( Archivio Disarmo), in
collaboration with Legacoop,
Incidentally, this year’s prize will be awarded
to Director Daniel Barenboim, whose orchestra includes both Israeli and
Palestinian musicians.
In both cases, the awarding of this Prize is a
symbolic recognition of their commitment to developing co-operation between
Israelis and Palestinians.
Today more than ever, the co-operative movement
is facing the challenges of modernity, placing the entire organization at risk
regarding its future survival.
As some people fear, and sadly, as is actually
shown in some cases, co-operation is risking to undergo a “genetic mutation”,
resulting in a loss of its identity, and therefore, its raison d’ être.
We must recognize these risks and deal with
them, so that the co-operative enterprise not only survives as an “enterprise”,
but also as a “co-operative”.
Surviving as an enterprise means acquiring three
types of “capital” - financial, social and human -, in the right dimensions and
skilfully balanced.
Keeping a sound distinctive identity means
putting into practice, on a daily basis, the co-operative rules, consistently,
clearly and with strength.
However, we must also keep in mind that the
mutualistic aim must be as effective as the entrepreneurial one.
The concept of innovation is
co-natural to co-operation. “Movement” means, in fact, “innovation,” as it was
meant by our founders.
Nothing can justify a
paralyzing fear of the new and consequently giving up the quest to find the
balance between co-operative values and competitive strategies.
Longevity and success are not
achieved by avoiding crisis, but by experiencing them as challenges to change
strategies, but at the same time maintaining our sound basic values.
When facing these challenges,
we can sometimes question the suitability of the nature and the structure of
co-operatives to successfully overcome them.
This leads to a
demutualization, giving up on managing the complexities and the contradictions
of the co-operative enterprise.
In
In fact, according to Italian
co-operative legislation, in the case of a cooperative transforming into a
capital company, its indivisible reserves must be entirely allocated to a
mutualistic fund for co-operative development.
In most cases, co-operative
leaders and external counsellors are the main protagonists leading to
demutualization, very rarely is it on the initiative of the members.
At the centre of this
research and consequent reflection, there is the figure of the member. The
co-operative form is at risk when the member is no longer seen as an individual
and becomes an anonymous figure, or , when the member loses his or her interest
in the life of the enterprise.
If the co-operative becomes a
mere community focused on business interests, its distinctive identity weakens,
and consequently, the pressure of the market rules ends up prevailing over
strength of cooperative rules.
It is always important to ask
oneself up to which point can a co-operative balance be pushed.
To maintain (or to
reinvigorate) co-operative identity, we need to draw up a governance focused on
co-operative values, able to infuse a sense of identity.
This entails the need of
mechanisms able to limit the power of the techno structure, ensuring a maximum
level of transparency in communication, fluid relationships between the members
and management, the strengthening of the associative structure, the search for
and the management of a co-operative consistency, continuously renewed, and of
a new cooperative paradigm.
Institutions and co-operators
everywhere should work towards these objectives, acting together to defend, not
only an historical heritage, but also an essential resource in building a good solidal
society and a free market, where competition is based on values and not only on
prices.
To have a future, the
cooperative movement must be able to awaken the interest and commitment of young
people and to share its vision of the world and its projects within a civil
society.
This can only be achieved on
the basis of the relationships between generations of leaders, members and
employees, based on reciprocal listening, shared practices and knowledge,
loyalty, solidarity and respect.
Young people are not at ease.
The symptoms of their uneasiness are clear and, sadly, are often the subject of
news headlines reporting facts, which are shaking public opinion, but, at the
same time, failing to generate a serious debate on the measures to be adopted
to improve the situation.
These extreme attitudes show
that young
people are experiencing a sense of estrangement from the world they live in.
They are focused on the present, with neither a memory of the past nor a sense
of the future. The future, for them, is a threat rather than a promise and
therefore, the present is the only place in which they can obtain anything.
Obviously, this situation
hardly encourages any building of autonomy.
However, the picture does not
entirely reflect the true situation .
There are some positive
examples, reviving the hope and the belief in a better world.
Everywhere in the world, co-operatives created by
young co-operators have been set up, proving that new and healthy energy can be
activated even in the most difficult situations.
In
In
conclusion
The cooperative project has
many aspects, focusing on the value of the person and the community.
Therefore, the cooperative
enterprise has great opportunities for development. In its external and
internal context that I have already mentioned, there are growing expectations
of the cooperative enterprise.
It is a recognition of its
role, together with the need for a consistency between its mutualistic goals
and its economic actions. Cooperatives can create a positive environment to
resist the desegregation of our society, as well as, to strengthen the re-construction
of a society based on solidarity and a pluralistic market.
Our movement has shown, on
many occasions, to be a springboard in initiating a thinking anchored in
reality, but, at the same time, aimed at strengthening the “vision” of a future and its raison
d’être.
We must continue to do this
with renewed strength and passion, because the future of cooperation depends,
most of all, on us, the co-operators.
I wish all the best to
you and to your cooperatives.
Thank you very much.