OCB President, Márcio Lopes, says “Coops will show the world what they came for on the COP-30 stage”. 2025 International Year of Cooperativism
Publicado em 28/11/2024
Divulgação
Tejon and OCB President, Márcio Lopes
Radio Eldorado / Estadão – Agroconsciente
Published on Nov. 20th/2024
* José Luiz Tejon
In a conversation with an admirable personality, the president of the Organization of Cooperatives of Brazil (OCB), Mr. Márcio Lopes, also a member of the International Alliance of Cooperatives (AIC) at COP-29, we talked about COP-30 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change), to be held next year, emphasising a significant consideration: 2025 will be the International Year of Cooperatives.
I asked Mr. Márcio what preparations the OCB will be making for this date, to which he replied:
“This meeting is quite pleasurable, and I´ll tell you a few more stories and cases to enhance your understanding of this subject. We´re very concerned about the change issue with the cooperative business model and how much this can affect our ability to generate prosperity for people; I have been preparing for this in the last four Conferences. This will be the fifth in which we will participate.
So, what are we doing? I have put my people to study a little more, go to the field, learn, perceive, measure, study the environment, measure the temperature, and compare with all previous Conferences.
With this, we have been preparing ourselves with government and private partners to be together and present. Now I have a large team in Azerbaijan.
This year, the credit people have been working on the Conference's main theme: Financing.
How can Credit Cooperatives be included in this context? How can cooperatives use mechanisms to finance sustainability and mitigate climate effects?
This commitment, which is part of humanity, requires that everyone assumes their part.
“For instance, Mr. Matheus Kfouri Marino, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Coopercitrus (Rural Producers Cooperative), is also present there as our representative.
”Cooxupé (Regional Coffee Growers' Cooperative of Guaxupé) is also there, showing its projects, as are Sicoob (Brazilian Credit Cooperative System), Sicredi (Cooperative Credit System), and Cresol (Rural Credit Cooperative with Solidarity Interaction), all of them very familiar with this mechanism.
So, we can see that the COP, itself, is a very interesting opportunity, a moment in which Brazil enters the United Nations' crowning glory, once again hosting the International Year of Cooperatives, and having the recognition that the cooperative business model is extremely positive in the world, mitigating all types of negative effects that have occurred.
The COP also helps us to overcome the processes of transformation, of change, and it is a source of pride, and a great honour.
But we have to be up to the task of presenting the responses that society expects.
So, what are we doing? We´re preparing ourselves very hard so that 2025 will be the year in which we will tell the most advanced story of our cooperative movement and its transformative capacity. I mean transforming not only the specific capital of the cooperative but also the base, that is, the society in which the cooperative is inserted.
For example, I mention the remarkable capacity that Comigo (Agroindustrial Cooperative of Rural Producers of Southwest Goiás) had to transform the city of Rio Verde into a true and highly respected “Agricapital”, in the heart of the State of Goiás.
This is how we´ll tell this story and get out of the “corner”, because Brazilian Agribusiness and its cooperatives don´t seek status, despite being proud of their importance in agribusinesses. We don´t want to go to the “corner” to take jabs and punches from NGOs; We want to demonstrate our purpose and If we’re not doing everything we can, we will do it for sure. Let’s create an environment where we don’t just stand by and listen to NGOs tell stories or criticise others, but an environment that highlights our contributions and our role.
Let’s showcase the positive examples we have in the Amazon through many sectors such as Agriculture, Credit, Health, and Transportation. Today, Brazilian Cooperativism is ready to go on the stage.
We know there are aspects to improve, but there´s a lot already done and well done.
In 2025, our story, to be presented to the world will highlight our purpose and illustrate the role of Contemporary Cooperativism, which must deliver genuine prosperity—not just in words but showing real results. The Big Stage for this will be COP-30.
Congratulations, Mr. Márcio Lopes! We´re heading towards 30 million Cooperative Members in Brazil and 1 trillion R$ in financial movement! Congratulations on your great work and your noble mission and as our great friend Mr. Roberto Rodrigues says:
“A Cooperative Leader deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”
*José Luiz Tejon - PhD in Education-Universidad de La Empresa/Uruguay. Master's degree in Art Education and History of Culture - Mackenzie University. Journalist and Publicist - Harvard, MIT and PACE/USA / Insead in France Specialisation Academic Coordinator of Master Science Food & Agribusiness Management at Audencia in Nantes/France and FECAP/ Brazil. Managing Partner at Biomarketing and TCA International. Professional Head at Agro Anefac. Writer author and Co-author of 37 books. Agro Personality Award 2023. ABAG. Former director of Grupo Estadão, Agroceres and Jacto S/A.
