Cooperative Development Support

Through a people-centered business model, cooperative enterprises have played a key role in international development for over 100 years, contributing to the development of an estimated 3 billion people worldwide.Working together through local, national, regional, and international structures, cooperatives build a global network across sectors ranging from small-scale to multi-national businesses. With cooperation among cooperatives and rich resources – finance, technical assistance, and human capacity –  cooperatives constitute a major actor in economic, social, and human development around the world.

In 2008 Cooperatives Europe created the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform. The overall aim of the CEDP is to facilitate international cooperative development, to integrate cooperatives into development policies, and to advocate for the cooperative business model. Therefore the CEDP works jointly on international development issues, exchanges information, creates synergies, strengthens relations with EU institutions, co-ordinates development policy action at the European level, and cooperates with civil society platforms.

Currently the following organisations are member of the platform: Cera (BE),  The Co-operative College (UK), DGRV (DE), Legacoop (IT), Confcooperative-Coopermondo (IT), Fédération Nationale des Cumas (FR), Kooperationen (DK), WeEffect (SE), Euro Coop (EU), Cecop-Cicopa Europe (EU).

Read about ‘Sharing the benefits. International development through cooperatives‘.

Go to the ‘Cooperatives in development’ online platform.