Addis Ababa, July 27, 2024: Cooperative Economic Framework can play a major role in mitigating trust deficit among nations and help streamline rural development across the globe, Mr. Binod Anand, Secretary General, Confederation of NGOs of Rural India and Founder Executive President of Word Cooperation Economic Forum at a United Nation Conference of Financing for Sustainable Development here.
Participating in the Ministerial session which has global presence of Diplomats, Ambassadors all United Nation affiliated bodies and in the esteemed presence of Deputy Secretary General of United NationsExcellency Amina J. Mohammed, who also chairs the United Nations SDG Group, Binod in the very First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development at Addis Ababa, gave a clarion call to create Cooperative Commodity exchange and Free Cooperative trade zone in Caribbean , and African region to achieve the SDG well in time. Mr. Anand said, “Trust deficit is the one which has been highlighted by some of the panelists, and to bring the trust, we need to create a robust cooperative economic framework for the developmental, especially the financing process in the rural development sector.”
He also informed that he has fulfilled his promise of the formation of the World Cooperation Economic Forum, with stalwart and renowned cooperator Shri Dileep Shanghani as Chairman and Professor (Dr.) Rakesh Arrawatia as another founder member which he promised last year in High level Political forum of the United nation in Newyork in the presence of very high-level delegation and integrating the minds to achieve the SDG through Cooperative economic framework.
“Along with the private sector and the civil society, the cooperatives have a big role to play. In Africa and other underdeveloped and developing nations, the value chain is perhaps not democratic, and that is the reason why it is not politically acceptable, and perhaps not giving due care to the civil society and people. The situation in India is different. We have a huge cooperative network and there are changes taking place. Maybe we can have a discussion on these aspects and create the cooperative at the center of all developmental aspects, so that the social and solidarity economy will take a place, and the financing for sustainable development can take a big shape,” Anand said.
During his address, Mr. Anand also expressed hope that cooperatives can create in situ employmentopportunities. It can address the trust deficit; it can address the kind of peace that is required at a time when half of the globe is going for the election this year and the next year. In a side event organized by FAO further he dwelt upon the solutions and the Indian Model of Creating three New Multistate cooperative on Natural farming, Seeds and Export. He gave a call to document these efforts and to create a white paper for United Nation FFD4 2025 meeting in Spain.
“As Europe is contemplating a financing mechanism for sustainable development, we must think about the cooperative, we must think about the cooperative organizations, and we must think about how to create a cooperative economic zone, not nationally but globally,” he further emphasized.
