ICA Activities

• ICA raises awareness about co-operatives. It helps individuals, government authorities and regional and international institutions understand the co-operative model of enterprise. It channels specific information to institutions and the media showing the importance of co-operatives to a wide range of economic and social issues. It disseminates information materials including the ICA Digest, and other communication means and celebrates jointly with the United Nations the International Day of Co-operatives on an annual basis.
  
  
• ICA is the voice of the co-operative movement. ICA has special status with the a number of multilateral institutions including the United Nations and agencies, the Council of Europe, the regional development banks, and others. It is able to communicate the position of the Co-operative Movement on a wide range of economic, social and cultural issues. See more information on ICA's representation activities > > >
  
  
• ICA ensures that the right policy environment exists to enable co-operatives to grow and prosper. It helps its members in their lobbying for new legislation and more appropriate administrative procedures that respect the co-operative model, its principles and values. It provides political support as well as technical expertise to enable co-operatives to be compete on a level playing field. It has been recently engaged in lobbying the International Accounting Standards Board with regard to how co-operatives are classified in accounting standards. More information on policy instruments available for co-operatives> > >
  
  
• ICA provides its members with key contacts and information on best practice. It facilitates contacts between co-operatives for trading purposes and intelligence sharing in a wide range of areas. It organises meetings, workshops and individual meetings to address key issues affecting co-operatives and allows discussion among co-operators from around the world. More on information for co-operatives made available by co-operatives including statistical data > > >
  
  
• ICA provides technical assistance to co-operatives Through its development programmes at global and regional levels, ICA promotes capacity-building, advice and financial support to movements around the world. See more information on ICA's development programmes and activities > > >