National Co-operative Federation (NCF) in association with the Ministry of Co-operatives is organising the 2nd National Co-operative Congress in April to discuss challenges faced by the sector and chalk out a roadmap to strengthen the cooperatives in the new economic framework of federalism.

According to NCF, the two-day international conference will begin on April 4. Organisers expect 1,200 national and international participants. 

Attendees will present papers and discuss linking co-operative businesses with the central, provincial and local government for the economic development during the conference.

A total of 10 papers are scheduled to be presented at the two-day conference. A key paper presentation entitled Good Governance: A Key Aspect of Cooperatives Sustainability will highlight on identifying wrong practices in Nepal’s co-operatives along with finding solution for the problems. 

The conference will also discuss the sector’s contribution in achieving targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, a universal call to action to end poverty.

NCG board member Chandra Prasad Dhakal said the conference will offer a platform to discuss various opportunities and problems that Nepal’s co-operatives face.

Dhakal said the conference could provide the guidelines for the policy makers and convey necessary information among the cooperatives operators to implement the best practices to safeguard the interests of the members.

At present, there are 34,512 primary co-operatives and 69 district co-operative associations across the country. According to the Department of Co-operatives, these co-operatives have been mobilising Rs302.16 billion, contributing nearly 18 percent to the country’s GDP. 

According to NCF, the congress will discuss prospects of the country’s cooperative movement by 2022. 

The SDGs 2016-2030 has envisioned strengthening partnerships of co-operatives with the private sector, civil society, development partners and the international community to meet the large capacity building needs of the country. 

Co-operatives play an important role in reducing poverty by providing economic opportunities for their members, empowering weaker members and mediating member’s access to credit.

 The conference will also mull the enabling environment for co-operatives via endorsing necessary legal frameworks. 

The discussion on the international practices on implementing the co-operative friendly taxation policy is expected to help formulate the policy guidelines in the sector.

The conference has also targeted to identify framework for increasing participation of youth and female gender for the future leadership in the sector. Implementing new ideas such as C2C (co-operative-to-co-operative) business model in the country could yield new prospects for the country’s co-operatives sector.