ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity (1995) — a restatement

The Statement on the Cooperative Identity, adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance at its centennial congress in Manchester in 1995, is the constitutional document of the worldwide cooperative movement: it defines what a cooperative is, names the values cooperatives live by, and states seven principles through which those values are put into practice. It sits deliberately between a business charter and a social philosophy, which is why this registry shelves it under philosophy. The authoritative text is at the source URL; this entry describes what it holds in the registry's own words.

Definition and values

A cooperative, in the Statement's definition, is an autonomous association of persons who unite voluntarily to meet shared economic, social, and cultural needs through a jointly owned, democratically controlled enterprise. Its values are self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity — and, in the tradition of the founders, the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.

The seven principles

1. Voluntary and open membership — open to all who can use the cooperative's services and accept membership's responsibilities, without discrimination by gender, social standing, race, politics, or religion.
2. Democratic member control — members set policy and make decisions; in primary cooperatives, one member, one vote.
3. Member economic participation — members contribute capital equitably and control it democratically; surpluses serve the cooperative's development, the members in proportion to their participation, and activities the membership approves, with limited compensation on capital itself.
4. Autonomy and independence — agreements with governments or outside capital must preserve democratic member control and cooperative autonomy.
5. Education, training, and information — for members, representatives, managers, and employees, and public information about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
6. Cooperation among cooperatives — cooperatives strengthen the movement by working together through local, national, regional, and international structures.
7. Concern for community — cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies their members approve.

Standing of this restatement

Prepared from the instrument as published at the source URL, read as of the accessed date. Corrections ship as a superseding version; this version remains published because citations to it remain outstanding (IFP-22, Sections 2.3 and 4).