Co-op News October 2019: Sustainable Development

SDG 10
How are the ICA Asia-Pacific region and its
members working to tackle inequality?
Since 1990, the Asia-Pacific region has lifted 1.1
billion people out of extreme poverty. Still, the
region has 400 million people in extreme poverty,
and is seeing a rapid rise in inequality.
Economic growth alone is not sufficient to reduce
inequality, which results from unequal access to
education, finance, health, and technology; lack of
resilience in the face of environmental hazards and
natural disasters; lack of information to services;
and lack of opportunities.
Co-ops in the Asia-Pacific focus on people being
left behind; they look at the real economy, long-term
job creation and increasing wealth – and combine
these with social inclusion and the environment.
In the region, agriculture is the main source of
work, and co-ops are at the forefront of doubling
farmers’ incomes. Ageing is a growing challenge;
co-ops in Singapore and Japan are working to
meet health needs, and building social networks
to ensure individuals live in their communities and
continue to do things they enjoy.
Co-ops are building resilience in earthquakeaffected
Nepal and cyclone-hit Vanuatu. In China
and Korea, they are investing in tech to connect
rural producers to urban consumers and cutting
out the middle men to save income. The concerns
of youth and the representation of women are
also key.
What are the big obstacles to progress?
The global growth outlook has weakened amid
unresolved trade tensions, elevated international
policy uncertainty and disillusionment with
globalisation. Across developed and developing
countries, growth projections for 2019 have been
downgraded. But the latest UN report on the global
outlook finds that overall economic growth for the
Asia-Pacific region remains strong compared to
other developing regions.
This does not mean we can sit back –
growth is slowing, as is job creation in China
and India, which are economic drivers in
the region; household and corporate debt is
increasing in parts of East Asia; the drop in oil
prices is fuelling concerns in the Middle East
and ongoing conflicts are adding to tensions;
the effects of climate change are seen across
the region.
How can co-ops generate and share
consistent data to support evidence-based
research?
This is a challenge. Examples we have tend to be
mostly through case studies. This is not to say
there is no research being carried out; but this
tends to be sample based and data collected is as
part of the study. What we need, as you have asked
is consistent data which can support research.
Data, where available is very macro. It is not very
disaggregated. What we need is consistent data
which can support research. Apex organisations
need to work with government departments and
statistical agencies to ensure data on co-ops is
systematically collected.
Should co-ops work with other organisations?
Co-operation among co-operatives is one of the
principles which needs strengthening. Credit,
agriculture and consumer co-ops need to work
together to build the co-operative ecosystem.
A good example is the Uralungal Labor Contract
Cooperative Society (ULCCS) in India. When ULCCS
wanted to raise US$31m (£25.11m) as a security
deposit to bid for road reconstruction work in
Kozhikode, it reached out to the primary co-op
banks in the area.
These formed a consortium, whose principles
were to use co-operative funds for co-operative
development; to develop co-op credibility – ULCCS
won the project competing with many multinational
corporations – and the financial participation from
primary co-ops to make this project a collective
co-op venture.
Co-ops have strong supporters in the EU, and in
several UN agencies. We need to leverage on this.
Co-ops are active in the implementation
of the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs
are a commitment of the global community and we
need to actively engage with others to ensure the
goals are met.
• Balu Iyer, director
general of ICA
Asia Pacific, who will
sit on a panel at Kigali
to discuss the role of
co-ops in achieving
SDG 10
42 | OCTOBER 2019