2018 Faculty Development Program On Co-Operatives And Sustainable Development
The co-operative movement is at cross roads across the globe. There have been many highs and lows over the past decade. Ever since the global economic down turn triggered through the depressions starting in 2007-08, interest in alternative forms of enterprises that can withstand the pressures of market, has increased and co-operatives are increasingly seen to be a preferred choice. It is this thinking that made UNO to declare 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives. Close on heels with this (2013) the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) came out with its Blueprint for Co-operative Decade that envisages making co-operatives the fastest growing sector in the world by 2022. Around the same time very positive developments such as the 97th Constitutional Amendment and the consequent structural changes at the state level happened in India as well. However, co-operatives continue to face some of the traditional problems such as lack of member awareness and consequent lack of participation, increased competition from private sector and most significantly less supportive state policies. The efforts of UNO, of coming out with the Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) has brought into focus instruments/institutions that facilitate sustainable development and hence the debate on the role of co-operatives vis-à-vis sustainable development has also come to the fore. The international Co-operative Alliance has in the recent past focused on these issues and come out with its own agenda to facilitate SDGs through cooperatives. It is therefore right time that we enhance the awareness about co-operatives and create better knowledge about their capacity to bring in positive changes in the economy as well as civil society. This workshop is an attempt in this direction