ICA President Addresses International Organisations (1998)

August, 1998
(Source: ICA News, Issue No. 3/1998, pp.2)

Stop Press World Overview
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Philippines
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Estrada's Co-op Agenda
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Co-op leaders in the Philippines recently sought a commitment from President-elect Joseph Estrada that his government would support sustainable community-based co-operative development. They were attending a briefing session on priorities during the first 100 days of the new administration.

The session examined the role that co-ops can play to improve the social conditions of Filippinos.

(Source: Visayas Cooperative Development Centre (VICTO), Philippines)

USA
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Co-ops and Microcredit
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Co-ops were show-cased at a Micro-Credit Summit held in New York from 27-31 June, providing confirmation of the important role that co-operatives take in the delivery of microfinance including microcredit. Developpement international Desjardins (DiD), a Canadian institution, led a workshop at this Summit with the Canadian Co-operative Association, Victo from the Philippines and Freedom From Hunger (USA), demonstrating the effectiveness of using this formula to help the world's poorest.

DiD has been providing support for nearly thirty years for setting up and consolidating networks of financial co-ops in over 25 countries that are in development or transition. This Summit was a follow-up to that held in Washington in February, 1997. It allowed organizations from around the world to discuss how best to take action in coming months to offer financial resources to attack poverty. The goal up to the year 2005 is to provide loans to support self-employment for 100 million of the poorest in the world, especially women.
(Source: VICTO, Philippines & DiD, Canada)