First International Summit of Cooperatives to be Held in Canada in 2012

QUEBEC CITY, July 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Drawing Cooperative Leaders From Around the World

Decision-makers and influential figures from the international cooperative and mutualist community will gather in Quebec City, Canada, from October 8 to 11, 2012 for the 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives. This event will mark the International Year of Cooperatives declared by the United Nations (UN).

The Summit will be a milestone eventfor current and future leaders committed to consolidating the influence of the cooperative and mutualist movement on the socio-economic and political stage.

Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest in the world, will co-host the Summit with two other major cooperative players: the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), which represents and serves cooperatives worldwide, and Saint Mary's University in Nova Scotia, Canada, which is renowned for its post-graduate cooperative management program. The three Summit co-hosts have also made it their mission to promote the cooperative and mutualist business model worldwide.

Participants from around the world will be discussing:

• The role of cooperatives and mutuals in the global economy
• The performance of the cooperative and mutualist business model
• The evolution of the business model
• The global socio-political influence of cooperative and mutuals

Some 125 keynote speakers from different areas of expertise will be participating in this event.

The results of international groundbreaking studies will be revealed for the first time at the Summit. These multi-sector studies cover:

• Major global trends and the issues and challenges they represent for cooperatives and mutuals
• Development strategies for the cooperative and mutualist model
• Evolution of cooperative and mutualist management practices
• Productivity, financing and capitalization of cooperatives and mutuals
• Global socio-economic impact of cooperatives and mutuals
• International survey of member and consumer expectations of cooperatives and mutuals

Round tables and plenary meetings will promote dialogue and enable participants to take part in discussions. The program also includes workshops that will address specific issues by activity sector: agriculture, retail, insurance, finance, industrial, health, to name a few.

To find out more about this international event, visit http://www.2012intlsummit.coop.

For further information:
(for journalists only):
Nathalie Genest
Media Relations
+1-514-281-7275
1-866-866-7000, extension 7275 (Canada only)
nathalie.genest@2012intlsummit.coop