The Department of Economy, Labour and Employment is pleased to announce its participation in the inauguration of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Global Cooperative Conference 2024 in New Delhi

• The Basque Government, represented by the Director of the Social Economy, Jokin Diaz, is participating in this global event, scheduled from 25 to 29 November with the conference theme, “Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All.”

The Department of the Economy, Labour and Employment, with the Director of the Social Economy, Jokin Diaz, led the Basque delegation in attendance at the opening of the Global Conference in New Delhi this morning. The Congress officially opens on Monday. The Basque delegation comprises representatives from Konfekoop (the Basque Confederation of Cooperatives), the Basque Higher Council of Cooperatives (CSCE), the three universities of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU, Deusto and Mondragon Unibertsitatea) and the Mondragon Group.

The global gathering, scheduled for 25-29 November in New Delhi, India, will convene over 1,000 cooperative members from across the globe. The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Conference provides a global forum for cooperatives, which are enterprises based on values rather than capital income. This year's ICA Global Conference, themed “Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All”, demonstrates a robust commitment to fostering shared prosperity through the advancement of co-operative values, ethical business practices and the promotion of decent work.

The Director of Social Economy at the Basque Government, Jokin Diaz, will be attending the opening of the congress, where he will be joined by speakers representing countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, among others. He will also be presenting a paper on the conference theme at the congress itself. In this, he will set out how the Basque co-operative alternative can be a competitive advantage in the current climate of uncertainty and transformation. Diaz will also be presenting the ASSET International Social Economy Hub, which will be headquartered in Donostia and inaugurated on 16 January.

The Basque delegation will have a full schedule of activities at the Global Cooperative Conference, where it will present its model of the social economy. In addition to the conference agenda, they will also participate in various meetings with the delegations from the other countries attending. They will use the opportunity to expand their business network in the host country, exchange perspectives and establish collaborative alliances that promote the common social objective.

In 2016, the concept of organising shared interests in cooperatives was successfully inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This was subsequently confirmed in high-level UN documents in 2021 and 2022.

In alignment with this objective, the Global Conference will also mark the official launch of the 2025 UN International Year of Cooperatives. The Conference will comprise 20 subject-specific plenaries and strategic parallel sessions, a trade fair, the Cooperative Marathon (Coopathon) for youth, film screenings, the General Assembly and meetings of ICA subject-specific, regional and sectoral bodies.

Opening Ceremony, Plenary Session

The plenary session, entitled 'Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All', will feature representatives from regions and countries that have demonstrated exemplary performance in their cooperative. This session’s objective is to establish the context for the conference and provide a global overview of the theme. The speakers confirmed for this session represents countries, including Brazil, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, among others.

This forum's objective is to highlight the Basque Country's global leadership in social economy, particularly in the areas of worker cooperatives and worker-owned companies, Social Enterprises and Community Interest Companies (CICs). Jokin Diaz stated that “a territory with a high density and diversity of social economy enterprises would be an ideal setting for demonstrating the impact of the social economy with lower rates of inequality as a key indicator.”

He went on to add: “Another of the characteristics of the Basque social economy, namely its industrial nature, will be presented. Four out of ten cooperatives are industrial cooperatives (Mondragon is the largest industrial cooperative in the world, according to the World Cooperative Monitor).”

Díaz highlighted: “When discussing the generation of wealth by cooperative enterprises, it is important to recognise that this is not simply a question of co-operatives; it is a question of the economic and social model we wish to establish. The economic and social model we want to build in the Basque Country is based on the values of solidarity, democracy, participation, equality, resilience and relocation. It is open to the world but rooted in the progress of our land.”

“Cooperativism is the Basque Country's best showcase to the world. An exemplary model of progress and cohesion. A model based on tradition, with an expansive present and a more promising future. Its values and the generation of wealth that we are going to discuss at this Conference provide an alternative to the traditional capitalist model.”

Diaz will demonstrate how cooperative enterprise can be an effective business strategy, a means of generating wealth, and a solution to reduce inequalities and address territorial roots. The proposed economy will comprise organisations dedicated to social transformation and education, with a focus on the individual as the primary agent of change. An economy is a business culture based on people and for people. A company can be considered as a community of people.

This places people at the heart of the initiative, which aims to drive change in the economic paradigm and foster the development of a new business culture. This culture will be based on principles such as collective versus individual interest, a long-term perspective versus short-termism, team versus individual leadership, the generation of collective versus individual wealth and territorial roots versus uprooting or relocation. Jokin Diaz succinctly states that “the future of the economy is either Social Economy or it is not.”

[1]: Common Good

In the ASSET International Social Economy Hub’s presentation, the Director of Social Economy will state that the aim and purpose of the creation of a cutting-edge hub is to bring together research, generate synergies between actors and promote networks of action in the Social Economy. This will impact not only the Basque and Spanish ecosystem, but also the European and international ones, through the knowledge transfer and exchange.

This cutting-edge HUB, which is the focal point of a strategic innovation system comprising a series of actions, will pursue three fundamental objectives: to enhance collective entrepreneurship and competitiveness within the business fabric of the Social Economy by developing and implementing innovation schemes, creating a scalable content platform and establishing a laboratory of ideas to evaluate the social, economic and environmental impact of the Social Economy and public policies deployed in this area.

[1] Auzolana is a traditional and community-based concept from the Basque Country, referring to the practice of collaborative work among neighbours or community members to carry out tasks or projects that benefit everyone, especially in rural settings. Among farmers, workers from four or five households would often go to each other’s fields to work together. This type of communal labour was also common in towns in the past. The term comes from the Basque word "auzo", meaning "neighbourhood" or "district", and "-lana", meaning "work" or "labour".