President Moon Emphasizes 'Cooperatives' as Icons of Solidarity and Cooperation

Attended the Opening Ceremony of the 33rd World Cooperative Congress... The Role of Cooperatives in the Post-Corona Era

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 1st, President Moon Jae-in attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd World Cooperative Congress and emphasized the role of cooperatives, which have emerged as icons of solidarity and cooperation.

About 300 people attended the event, including Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), overseas leaders, and domestic social economy figures.

This congress is being held for the first time in nine years since the 2012 Manchester congress in the UK. It is the second time it has been held outside Europe (Japan hosted in 1992).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Blue House explained, "The event was held to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the ICA's founding and the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Cooperative Identity Statement in 1995, to explore the identity of cooperatives amid current crises such as COVID-19 and climate change, and to seek the future direction of cooperatives."

The social economy, represented by cooperatives, is an important pillar of the people-centered economy and inclusive nation pursued by the Moon Jae-in administration.

In his commemorative speech, President Moon expressed his intention to actively participate in social economy discussions led by international organizations such as the OECD and ILO.

President Moon also conveyed his hope that cooperatives will establish themselves as icons of solidarity and cooperation for community recovery in the post-COVID era.

Meanwhile, Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, presented "The achievements of social economy activation policies over the past four and a half years of the Moon Jae-in administration and future directions" at the event.

Deputy Prime Minister Hong explained the major achievements, including the establishment of an integrated support system among the private sector, central, and local governments; the creation of a social economy ecosystem foundation such as workforce, finance, and public procurement; expansion into various fields that were blind spots for social economy enterprises; and strengthening solidarity and cooperation to create social value.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.