Celebrating co-operative networks

Women co-operative leaders from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh came together to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Indian Co-operative Network for Women (ICNW) and the Working Women’s Forum of India (WWF), on Tuesday.

A campaign on co-operatives for peace, development and poverty reduction in South Asia was the focus of the anniversary celebrations and a contingent from the Japanese Consumer Co-operatives Union (JCCU) were part of the event. The JCCU is the apex of the consumer co-operatives in Japan where women play a very active role.

Nandini Azad, president, ICWN, said co-operatives had proven to be an effective channel for promoting gender equality in diverse circumstances. “On the 40th anniversary, we can see how co-operative is an instrument of change, as it is based on shared values of non-violence which is the most fruitful way to strengthen peace,” she said.

Jaya Arunachalam, president of the WWF, India, said that the representatives from the JCCU would interact and spend time with women leaders from the ICNW co-operative network branches of South India to study and learn from their functioning. The women co-operatives leaders which included weavers, lace makers, fisher women, vegetable vendors and other micro entrepreneurs took an oath to declare their solidarity with the campaign.

Chitose Arai, vice-president of the JCCU spoke about the working of Japanese consumer co-operatives and said that they worked for the revitalisation of communities. “Our goal also has been to encourage more women to participate and be more involved in the International Co-operative Alliance and have been focussed on women’s capacity building and related training activities,” she said.