On March 19 and 21, 2019, Andreas Kappes, IRU Secretary General and Head of the Department of International Affairs at DGRV, visited two IRU member organizations in Turkey: the Central Union of Turkish Agricultural Credit Cooperatives (Türkiye Tarim Kredi Kooperatifleri, TKK) and the Union of Sugar Beet Growers‘ Production Cooperatives (PANKOBIRLIK). Both organisations are long-standing…
March 13, 2019, Leuven/Belgium Upon invitation of Cera/BE and the IRU Secretariat General, the IRU working group met to discuss the topic of “youth & cooperatives”. Having just celebrated 200 years of Raiffeisen and 50 years of IRU in 2018, the IRU member organizations increasingly look towards the future and to securing their sustainable business…
Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia: From 14-17 November 2017, the Internatioanl Co-operative Allaince (ICA) invited its members to the Global Conference and General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur. On this occasion, IRU Sectetary General Andreas Kappes met Dr. Nandini Azad, President of the Indian Cooperative Network for Women (ICNW) and Special Appointee Gender to the Board of IRU. Mr.…
Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia: The General Assembly of the ICA International Cooperative Alliance elected Dr. Ariel Guarco from Argentina as its new president for the period 2017-2021 in Kuala Lumpur on 17 November 2017. Andreas Kappes, Secretary General of IRU – International Raiffeisen Union and Head of Department International Relations of DGRV (German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Association)…
Nairobi: In June 2017, Andreas Kappes, Secretary General of IRU – International Raiffeisen Union and Head of the Department International Affairs at DGRV met KUSCCO’s CEO George Ototo in Kenya. DGRV (German Cooperative Raiffeisen Association) is currently expanding its project activities in Eastern Africa. KUSCCO (Kenya Union of Savings & Credit Co-operatives Ltd.) is not…
On June 30 and July 1st, 2017, the Raiffeisen Symposium at Schloss Montabaur, the Academy of German Cooperatives (ADG), explored the co-operative idea of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen. The approximately 80 participants and academics discussed the economic innovation and social orientation of the cooperative idea and the relevance of cooperatives to present times. The guests were…
Every first Saturday in July is celebrated as the International Day of Cooperatives. Andreas Kappes, General Secretary of the IRU – International Raiffeisen Union, answered three questions about cooperatives on this day. Q: What is the issue of the International Day of Cooperatives? AK: The motto of the International Day Cooperatives 2017 says: “Cooperatives…
Almost 60 percent of the approximately 1.1 billion Africans currently live without access to electricity. And the need for it is increasing rapidly. By the year 2040, Africa’s energy demand will rise by about 80 percent. This demand is to be covered mainly by resources such as sun, wind and biomass. The African continent offers…
On 11th May 2017, Minister of State Maria Böhmer handed over the UNESCO diploma in recognition of the “Idea and Practice of the Organization of common Interests in Cooperatives” as Intangible Cultural Heritage to the German Hermann-Schulze-Delitzsch-Gesellschaft e. V. and the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Raiffeisen-Gesellschaft e. V. The two organizations were decisively involved in the nomination of Germany…
On 30th March 2018, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen’s birthday will be celebrated for the 200th time. Just one year before, representatives from industry, politics and society met at Neuwied for a “Jour fixe with Raiffeisen” in preparation for the anniversary year. “Raiffeisen. Great idea!” – Under this motto, the cooperative world started the Raiffeisen Year…