Mexican President pledges his support to the co-operative movement and tells the General Assembly that Mexico will actively participate in the International Year
The President of the United States of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, has addressed the international co-operative community on the last day of the ICA’s biennial General Assembly. The head of state of the host nation told the international conference that Mexico shares the values of the co-operative movement. He stated ‘We share the values of co-operativism. Mutual help, fair employment, corporate social responsibility, sustainable human development, the participation of citizens and democracy.’
The G20 leader spoke candidly about his experience of co-operatives and about the value that he saw those enterprises bringing to society, not just in terms of the economy but also in terms of human investment. He told the global audience that as President he had the privilege of visiting many co-operative enterprises in Mexico on different scales and in different sectors where he had seen ‘the social economic contribution of co-operatives’.
The President continued 'You have contributed to develop the capacities of the less unfortunate ones. Helped strengthen the social fabric that needs our society that has been damaged by the challenges that we have before us. Thanks to the co-operative movement, millions of human beings have been able to overcome poverty and discrimination.'
Calderón renewed his government’s commitment to the UN International Year of Co- operatives with the words ‘we will use the UN Year to spread the message about co-operatives amongst the Mexican people’.
He also told delegates that Mexico will actively participate in the International Year: ‘We will participate, not only with celebrations, which we will hold, but also with actions, positive actions and constructive actions.’
ICA President Dame Pauline Green thanked the Mexican President for the honour of his visit and extended her thanks to the Mexican co-operative movement for their gracious hospitality. She paid personal tribute to the President on his government’s achievements in extending health and education services over the past five years of this presidency.
Dame Pauline outlined why it was so important for the International Year to be taken seriously by key political and economic decision-makers. ‘Our aim is to make a breakthrough in the level of knowledge about the values led, member owned co-operative business experience. This is not an alternative model to our investor led competitors, but we believe it is a better way to do business – putting people first.’
