How to become a member of the international cooperative alliance

The year 2009 begins to govern a new membership system that has allowed more organizations to apply and be part of the International Cooperative Alliance.

Who can be members?

Membership of the Alliance is open to all organizations that conform to the International Cooperative Alliance's statement on the Cooperative Identity and pursue the objectives of the Alliance.

Organizations can apply under two categories of membership; as a Full Member or as an Associate Member.

In the category of Full Members the following types of organizations apply:

Unions or National Federations of Cooperative Organizations,

National Confederations of Cooperative Unions (integration top organizations),

National cooperative companies with individual majority ownership,

Individual cooperative organizations (primary or base cooperatives).

The following types of organizations apply to the Associate Member Category:

Cooperatively owned and controlled organizations,

Institutions of Research, Education or other Institutions that promote or finance cooperatives and the cooperative movement,

International and Regional (supranational) Federations or Unions of Cooperative Organizations,

Organizations that support cooperatives,

Organizations entitled to full membership status, but not yet ready to apply. [1]

The annual membership fee is calculated based on a specific subscription formula for Full Members and another for Associate Members. Organizations that apply as full members pay an annual subscription based on the number of their partners they represent, while for associate members the payment would be according to a fixed scale.

Procedure

To start the membership application procedure to the International Cooperative Alliance, you must complete the "Membership Application Form" and attach the following documentation:

Statutes of the Organization

Annual Report              

List of member cooperatives of the organization

The affiliation form and additional documentation must be sent to the Regional Office of Cooperatives of the Americas, to the Membership Department for the respective verification. It can be sent to the Address: Casa 85N, located at Vía 104 and calle 72, San José, Costa Rica.”

Complete applications will be forwarded to the Central Office of the International Cooperative Alliance for inclusion in the next scheduled meeting of the Alliance's Board of Directors.