Here are the top stories for the week of May 24th, 2021.

CHF BC Climate Emergency Task Force 2021 Spring Conference Plenary (Canada)

This meeting plenary introduced members to CHF BC’s newly-formed Climate Emergency Task Force. Panelists shared their experiences and vision for working towards a more environmentally sustainable future. Why are governments and organizations around the world are declaring a global climate emergency, and what housing co-ops can do to reduce the impact of climate change on our communities? Click here to watch the video.

 

 

Obituary: Mohammad Sharif Bhaiji (Pakistan)

Mohammad Sharif Bhaiji, a cooperative housing pioneer who dedicated his life to the movement, died on 6 May in Karachi, Pakistan, after falling ill with Covid-19.

Born in Bombay, India (Mumbai) in 1936, Bhaiji was immersed into the world of co-operatives early on through the work of his father, Yousuf Bhaiji, one of the founders of Sindh Cooperative. He continued his parent’s work and, in his various roles with the housing co-operatives of Karachi, he helped to develop houses, flats, and townships in rural and urban areas.

He was active in the wider co-operative sector, particularly as secretary of Sindh Provincial Cooperatives Union, which includes 2,700 consumer, agriculture, fisheries, credit, and housing societies. Click here to read more.

Co-operatives intensify efforts to tackle Covid-19 in India and Nepal (India & Nepal)

The global cooperative movement has stepped in to support Indian co-operatives and their members in their efforts to tackle Covid-19.

As daily Covid-19 deaths surged past 4,000 on 8 May, India is struggling to contain the outbreak. Indian co-operatives are making a difference with a range of initiatives aimed at supporting local communities.

The Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) is investing around ₹30 crores (£2.9m) in four oxygen plants to fill up the oxygen cylinders free of cost for hospitals in a move designed to address oxygen shortages. The plants are being built in Kalol (Gujarat), Aonla, and Phulpur (Uttar Pradesh) and at Paradeep (Odisha). IFFCO Tokio, its insurance subsidiary, has also donated 20 oxygen concentrators to local ambulances. Click here to donate. Click here to learn more.

Rebuild Better Together: 2021 International Day of Cooperatives announced

Next 3 July, the International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay) will be celebrated as “Rebuild better together”. Cooperatives around the world will showcase how they are meeting the COVID-19 pandemic crisis with solidarity and resilience and offering communities a people-centered and environmentally just recovery.

Marked by cooperatives worldwide since 1923 and officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the centenary of the ICA in 1995, the International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.

The aim of #CoopsDay is to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote the movement’s ideas of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations through Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) have jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay.

This year’s celebration will be the 27th International Day of Cooperatives recognized by the United Nations and the 99th International Cooperative Day.

Through #CoopsDay, local, national and global policymakers, civil society organisations, and the public, in general, can learn about the contribution of cooperatives to a just future for all. Click here to read more.