Image: Paul Gerrard, Rose Marley, Debbie Robinson, Sarah Alldred and Peter Westall at the lunch of the fund
A development fund which aims to strengthen and rebuild communities across the globe through the power of co-operation was launched on 21 December in Rochdale, UK – the birthplace of the modern co-operative movement.
The Fund for International Co-operative Development (FICD) is rooted in the idea that “international co-operation and mutual aid are the cornerstones of a resilient and just global community”. It aims to “support new or existing co-operatives so they can grow and play a major part in economic reconstruction and peace-building, fairly, sustainably and inclusively”.
The initiative is the result of work by the UK’s International Co-operative Working Group, convened by co-op apex Co-operatives UK and comprising representatives from different sectors.
“We want to create a fund to make sure that co-ops can help each other in times of need, and that is what FICD will do,” said Co-operatives UK CEO, Rose Marley, who is chairing the fund. “We’ll be asking all of our members to contribute and donate so please do get in touch if you are interested in getting involved.”
The Fund will support three strands of support: Crisis response to enable immediate humanitarian assistance to areas affected by violent conflict and natural disasters, administered through co-operatives and co-op infrastructure organisations; medium-term support to develop new co-operatives and strengthen existing co-ops following conflicts and natural disasters; and long-term mutual aid to promote social justice through supporting the development of primary and secondary co-ops and co-operative networks and partnerships.
“One of the powers of co-operation is people coming together at times of need [and] we have a proud record as a co-op movement of doing this at a global scale,” said Pete Westall, chief values officer at Midcounties Co-op, and one of the directors of FICD. “What this fund will do is help channel monies from co-operators and co-operative societies across the world to people at times of extreme need.”
He emphasised that those involved would still support other organisations and appeals closer to home, “but this fund will give an immediate lifeline, co-op to co-op, to ensure co-operators across the world help each other in times of real crisis”.
FICD’s launch date – 21 December 2024 – also marked exactly 180 years since the Rochdale Pioneers opened their first store in the town, and aligns with the start of the UN 2025 International Year of Cooperatives, which has the theme Coooperatives Build a Better World.
“For 180 years, co-operatives have been a force for good,” said Paul Gerrard, policy and campaigns director at the Co-op Group, and fund director. “While hate divides communities, co-operation builds them [and] a core part of this fund is about helping co-ops post-conflict or post-disaster rebuild the communities that once were their bedrock, and that can be their foundation again.”
Paul Waugh, Labour and Co-Operative MP for Rochdale, said: “It’s a constant source of pride in Rochdale that we are the birthplace of the Co-operative movement. But co-ops are a living, breathing thing, not a relic of the past.
“This new Fund for International Co-operative Development underlines the global nature of our mission. It is also a reminder that one of the original seven Rochdale principles was to “advance the common good”. That is as important in 2024 as it was in 1844.”
Initial development and funding has been supported by some of the UK’s major retail co-operatives (Co-op Group, the Midcounties Co-operative, Central Co-operative and Lincolnshire Co-operative), with further development expertise provided by co-op support organisations (Co-operatives UK, the Co-operative College, Co-operative Heritage Trust and Co-op News).
The co-op to co-op development aspect is “about how we as co-operators come together to find co-operative solutions through the creation and introduction of new co-ops on a global scale,” said fund director and Central Co-op CEO, Debbie Robinson. “This is a proactive fund that recognises when people need it the most, we need to be prepared and capable of helping.”
Alison Hands, CEO of Lincolnshire Co-op, said: “We know that by working together, we have made a collective difference in efforts to provide aid and help communities rebuild. This dedicated fund will mean we can provide even more unified support to co-ops on the ground in times of crisis and will help us continue to evolve and develop the international co-operative network.”
Alongside Robinson, Westall and Gerrard, FIDC directors include Blase Lambert (Confederation of Cooperative Housing) and Todor Ivanov (EuroCoop). Fund manager and secretary is Dr Sarah Alldred.
“The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives because they acknowledge the power of co-operative enterprise, which is a different, more equitable way of doing business,” she said.
“Co-operatives build a better world because they are rooted in democracy and in people and that’s what FICD is about: rooting the fund in people.”
To find out more and to donate to the fund, either as an individual or an organisation, visit www.fund.coop or email [email protected].
