The digital economy is around us. It transforms the world as we know it. From the “new normal”
introduced by COVID-19, business models are emerging motivated by positive social impact, sustainable
development and inclusion of gender and cultures. However, the digital economy is profoundly disrupting
the world of work. What must be done to remain a source of inspiration while respecting members and
their common interest? How can cooperatives guarantee a bright future for workers while going digital?

All types of organizations need to demonstrate an ethical, strong and resilient value chain that meets the highest standards to fight modern slavery, financial crime and climate change. Cooperative members are demanding more information on the products and services they consume. Regulators are considering stricter enforcement programs with substantial penalties for those who do not comply. How satisfactory are the relationships of cooperatives to current partner organizations in various value chains? Are there more business opportunities within the global Fair-Trade? Are secondary and tertiary cooperatives being used for leveraging the regional and global markets? Are they providing enough support to primary cooperatives and their communities?

Innovation and entrepreneurship require the ability to connect to a large support network of people, ideas and financial resources. Successful cooperative partnerships and groupings, both sectoral and crosssectoral, have developed in many countries over the last decades, based on cooperative Principle #6: cooperation among cooperatives. Can strong global networks of cooperatives be created to increase market shares and enter new ones? How do cooperatives pool entrepreneurial support services for startups, worker and community buyouts?

Based on their identity, cooperative enterprises have a specific capital structure because of their ownership and control system, with limited nominal capital contributed by members, while building longterm reserve funds. As a result, cooperatives strive to find innovative ways to build capital in order to support their development and make sure their capitalization model is taken into consideration by regulators. What should be done to ensure a form of capital management that allows for cooperatives to innovate, be resilient, grow and succeed in their mission?

According to their international definition, cooperatives are characterized by being both enterprises and associations, and their true identity can only be acquired if a balance between the two elements is maintained. Therefore, entrepreneurial innovation must embody cooperative values and principles. What are their growth trajectories? How have cooperatives pursued entrepreneurial innovation while embodying cooperative values? What challenges must cooperatives overcome to become successful future businesses?

The top priority of a majority of institutions on the planet is to act on climate change. The pandemic has highlighted the interdependence between the degradation of the environment and health risks. Cooperatives have been committed to and have been responding to UN Sustainable Development Goals long before these came into being. How does the global cooperative movement fight against climate change? What measures are being taken in cooperative sectors—agriculture, fisheries, consumption, housing, health, banking, insurance, industry and services, etc. to mitigate the adverse effects of the climate crisis and build resilience? How do the different cooperative sectors address the loss of biodiversity? What are the best coping strategies?

According to the ICA Declaration on Positive Peace through Cooperatives (2019), peace based on “good contribution in the community, particularly cooperation and integration, reconciliation and equality” is positive peace. Many times, cooperatives have been directly involved in positive peace initiatives without being necessarily recognized for the direct role they have played. Does support for positive peace feature prominently in the global cooperative movement? How do their actions translate into restoring post-conflict peace and stability, conflict prevention, natural disaster recovery and the refugee crisis?

By giving local communities direct control over their destiny, whether in agricultural production, health, housing, education, industry, retail, banking or energy, cooperatives play a decisive role in the world economy. There are lessons to be learned from successes and failures in international cooperative development. What lessons have been learnt from the ICA-EU Partnership programme in cooperative development? How have the values and principles which are part of the cooperative identity been important in this process?

Cooperative Principle #7: Concern for Community emphasizes the cooperative contribution to local community development, while promoting the economic participation of their members. The cooperative model has the potential to play a key role in communities facing various social problems, such as poverty, inequality and unemployment. It is an excellent model for building circular and autogenous communities by promoting the revitalization of the regional economy, creating jobs and increasing the social and economic participation of members in community development. How can this be enhanced to help communities facing various social issues? How can the cooperative movement help build independent, self-reliant communities that will reinvest their own knowledge and resources back in the community itself?

The COVID-19 pandemic is the best example of how disasters often occur unexpectedly and cause social, health and economic harm. Our open democratic system helps us face and overcome health, social and economic crises. Cooperatives have repeatedly shown resilience to crises. What have cooperatives done to emerge from this crisis?