Cooperatives Europe releases its latest #coops4dev research report with the support of the CEDP.
Cooperatives Europe released today a new thematic research “Cooperatives and Peace: Strengthening Democracy, Participation and Trust – A Case Study Approach,” showcasing twenty case studies from more than fourteen countries, covering different types and stages of conflicts.
Presenting practical examples, the report looks at cooperatives contributing to the empowerment of minority groups affected by conflict, providing decent work and sustainable development in fragile contexts, as well as supporting mitigation of conflict through partnerships with other actors and the provision of humanitarian support.
The report demonstrates that cooperatives can play an important role in peacebuilding worldwide, while also contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By building self-sufficient and resilient communities, and by encouraging dialogue and democratic participation, the cooperative business model is able to bridge the gap between conflict resolution and long term development strategies, addressing persistent structural challenges facing communities. The report also offers a number of conclusions and recommendations addressed to policymakers, cooperative leaders, and external partners.
Produced in the framework of the ICA-EU Partnership (#coops4dev), the research was supported by the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP), co-authored by the Co-operative College, Kooperationen and Coopermondo, with input from all CEDP members. Coopermondo participated directly in the research and the elaboration of the report, where AGRICOOP Colombia project and a project implemented by Armadilla in Siria are showcased. 
The report was endorsed by key stakeholders, including high level representatives from the cooperative movement, civil society, local authorities, and the EU. MEP Stelios Kouloglou, the Vice-Chair of the DEVE Committee in the European Parliament, highlighted the value of partnering with cooperatives for peacebuilding, mentioning that: “the role of these partnerships will be of particular relevance for decision-makers, who can look to international cooperative development as an additional strategy for peacebuilding.”
The report is available here

Europe woke up sad for the decision of the British people to leave the EU (Brexit), while across the ocean, in Colombia, people are celebrating a happy and historic day. After more than three years of negotiations, with alternating phases of tension and guerrillas and moments of great enthusiasm and hopes, the Colombian government and the FARC (Colombian Revolutionary forces born in the sixties of the last century) have reached a final peace agreement.
Peace talks were conducted in La Havana and the two parties’ representatives have decided to “outlaw” the use of weapons in the exercise of politics in Colombia. The main objective of the agreement is to give primacy to the “values of democracy, the free exchange of ideas and civilized debate in which there is no room for intolerance and persecution for political reasons”.
The parties have agreed to several compromises, including the commitment by the FARC to hand over all weapons within 180 days of signing the Final Agreement.
The process will be supervised by the United Nations with guarantees for both the government and the FARC. And the UN itself will be handed over all the weapons to be devoted to the construction of three monuments.
“It is a historic moment that Coopermondo is glad to celebrate with all the Colombian public and private partners with which it has the honor of working with for over five years”, says Director Danilo Salerno.
Download the full text of the agreement (in Spanish).