News Release
Report maps pathways for transformation development through co-ops

Contact:
Rob Nooter
Executive Director
Overseas Cooperative Development Council
(703) 524-1739
RINooter@landolakes.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Report maps pathways for transformational development through co-ops

Worldwide, donors, governments and citizens have become more concerned about accountability in foreign assistance.  They’re examining the effectiveness of their international development programs in bringing about true local, regional and national changes.  Cooperatives can be an extraordinary tool for stimulating and sustaining these changes.

For more than a century, cooperatives have empowered people in the U.S. and other parts of the developed world to actively participate in their own economic and social development.  A new report published by the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council, presents a strong case for cooperatives providing the same catalytic role in the developing world. 

The report emphasizes three pathways through which cooperatives can achieve transformational development:

• Economic.  Cooperatives are business entities organized to improve their members’ economic interests.
• Democratic.  Cooperatives provide members direct experience with democratic governance, transparency and participation.
• Social.  Cooperatives strengthen social structures by building social capital, trust bonds and by bridging ethnic and political divides. 

Cooperatives:  Pathways to Economic, Democratic and Social Development in the Global Economy highlights the accomplishments of the cooperative business model and underscores the relevance of co-ops in creating sustainable change in developing countries.

For more information about the report, contact Rob Nooter, executive director, OCDC.  To download a copy of Cooperatives:  Pathways to Economic, Democratic and Social Development in the Global Economy, visit http://www.ocdc.coop.  

OCDC’s mission is to champion, advocate and promote effective international cooperative development.  Its eight member organizations are:  ACDI/VOCA, Americas Association of Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Societies, Cooperative Communications International, CHF International, Land O’Lakes International, National Cooperative Business Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International, and the World Council of Credit Unions.