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Of course. I am Ramon Imperial Zuñiga. In America I am the President of ICA Americas and I am also Vice-President at global level. In Mexico I am the CEO of a credit union called Caja Popular Mexicana.
It is a co-operative that has nearly 2 million members providing them with all services commercial banks do, only that through a co-operative structure.
This event that we have now in Manchester is very important.
We have an expo where different co-ops from all over the world can show what they serve for, but we also taken important decisions and we have an Extraordinary General Assembly session tomorrow
where among other aspects, we will revise a very important document containing global strategies for co-operative development for the next decade.
You spoke of the way in which in Mexico co-ops involve people in their projects. Can you give more details? And can you say more on how other co-ops can learn from this example?
In countries from all over the world co-ops have witnessed an important boost. In Mexico there are 10,000 co-ops in which 10 million people participate, the most developed and consolidated sector is the credit union one
there are 600 co-ops and 6 million credit union members.
Generally speaking, co-operatives lead to sustainable development, we are not profit-driven only and the model is successful, it proposes a real alternative for people to help each other.
In many countries around the world the co-op model has witnessed remarkable development.
And what do you do to involve members?
Each co-op has its own mechanisms. In the case of Caja Populara Mexicana the 2 million members actively participate each year in an Assembly.
Throughout January, February, March and April we have a process consisting of Assemblies at local, regional and national level. All members can participate. What makes co-ops different is that members are not only clients, but also owners.
so they are the ones getting involved in the decision making process every year and they are the ones managing the co-op.
What do you think are the most important steps in building a Co-operative Decade?
At global level we have distinguished 5 aspects which make co-ops different-one of the most important is participation or members' involvement.
The most important for co-ops is to make sure that in each co-op, no matter what type of co-op it is, people are given the chance to get actively involved in the decision making process.
I was also saying that sustainability is one of the most important aspects because we have to make sure not only that co-ops are building a dynamic economy and generate growth, but that they also preserve the natural habitat, without exploiting people,
and all members can develop. How to consolidate the capital, how to involve the members, there are various aspects we tackle in this document to make sure that the next decade will actually help us to consolidate co-operation as model that benefits people.
Is it important to build a co-operative identity at global level?
Yes, it is fundamental because the identity consists primarily in having well-defined co-operative principles and values but this should not be just a theory, but rather making sure members are actually aware of this philosophy
and they are integrating it within the co-op. Democracy might seem simple, but we need to make sure that our members really have the necessary mechanisms to participate in co-ops in a democratic way.
What can you tell me regarding co-op legislation?
Legislation is one of the fundamental issues we want to tackle in the next years because there are different laws in different countries and we need to make a joint effort so that governments and legislators in all countries get a better understanding
of what co-ops are and create laws that enable co-operative development. There are certain states where developing certain types of co-ops is forbidden. For example, in America in Mexico co-ops credit unions cannot register as co-ops.