ICA's Interaction with the UN, its agencies and commissions

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ICA Activities with the United Nations

ICA was one of the first non-governmental organisations officially recognised by the United Nations. In 1946 it was accorded consultative status. Today it holds general category consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Commission (ECOSOC) enabling it to participate in meetings of the UN, its agencies and commissions.

Information on activities with the main UN agencies is listed here.

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

ICA has consultative status with FAO. In 1999, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to strengthen technical activities for agricultural co-operative development. A number of collaborative activities are taken at the regional level. At the international level, ICA and FAO participate in the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC).

ICA President, Director-General and Deputy Director-General meet FAO Director-General to discuss the future of the Co-operative Programme (2004)
ICA Statement to the 32nd FAO Conference (December 2003) (pdf)
ICA Statement to the 124th Session of the FAO Council (June 2003)
ICA President addresses the World Food Summit Five Years Later (2002)

International Labour Office (ILO)

ICA and ILO have been working together since the early 1920's as co-operatives are an integral part of the ILO and are cited as constituents in the ILO Constitution. In 2004, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ICA and ILO. The MoU provides a platform on which ICA can intensify its collaboration with ILO with resources being committed for a number of joint projects. Outputs from the MoU have included the holding a series of regional joint seminars to promote ILO Recommendation 193, elaborating the Global Co-operative Campaign against Poverty, participating in the annual Informal Consultative Meeting on Strengthening Collaboration between Trade Unions and Co-operatives, and identification of new areas in which co-operatives can participate in ILO work areas such as youth employment and HIV/AIDS. ICA and ILO participate in the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC).

ICA's main contact is the ILO Co-operative Branch.

Below are some examples of ICA's participation in ILO areas of work:

United Nations Secretariat

ICA has general consultative status with the UN. This has enabled participation in a wide variety of meetings where ICA has been able to promote the co-operative form of enterprise. ICA's consultative status allow it to also particate in the UN's regional commissions for Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Africa and Latin America. Representation in these meetings are assured by the ICA regional offices. ICA and the UN Secretariat also participate together in the Committee for Promotion for the Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) where they work together to choose the theme of the UN International Day of Co-operatives and where ICA is able to provide input to the preparation of the UN Secretary-General's Reports on co-operatives.

UN Secretary-General's Statement to the ICA General Assembly, Cartagena, Colombia (22 September 2005) (pdf) (html)
ICA Statement to UN ECOSOC Coordination Segment, United Nations Geneva (July 2003) (pdf)
ICA Presentation at ECOSOC Roundtable on "Increasing productivity of rural work", United Nations Headquarters New York (April 2003) (pdf)
ICA Board Message to United Nations' Secretary-General, Kofi Annan on peace (February 2003) (pdf)
Reply of Kofi Annan of 10 April 2003 (pdf)
ICA President meets with Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General in New York (April 2002) (pdf)
ICA and the Major UN Conferences:
- World Summit for Social Development (1994)
- 4th World Conference on Women (1995)
- Habitat II (1996)

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT)

ICA has been collaborating closely with UN Habitat since the adoption of the Habitat Agenda adopted in Istanbul in 1996. The Habitat Agenda specifically notes that role of co-operatives in human settlement development and resulted from ICA's successful lobbying efforts. In 1998, ICA signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaborative activities in the housing development sector. A second MoU was signed in 2001 and ICA is currently negotiating another agreement. ICA's sectoral organisation, ICA Housing actively collaborates with UN Habitat.

World Health Organisation (WHO)

ICA collaborates with WHO on health issues, including HIV/AIDS. ICA's sectoral organisation, International Health Co-operative Organisation (IHCO) also participate in WHO meetings and activities. ICA is currently applying for consultative status with WHO to formalise it position.

FAO-WHO Codex Alimentarius

ICA collaborates with the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius on food safety issues. ICA's sectoral organisation, Consumer Co-operatives Worldwide (CCW) represents the ICA at meetings and presents statements on behalf of the entire ICA membership. ICA has participated in a wide variety of meetings of Codex including on General Principles, food hygiene, meat hygiene, residues of veterinary drugs in food, and nutrition and foods for special dietary uses.

Last Updated: 14 June 2008