Call for Consultant: Potential Members Government Agencies

I. Objective

The International Co-operative Alliance seeks an expert consultant to map government entities with a co-operative mandate globally. The report will include a case profile and contact details. The objective of the study is to get a list of potential members for recruitment into membership.

II. Background

The International Co-operative Alliance
The International Co-operative Alliance is a non-profit international association established in 1895 to advance the co-operative enterprise model. It is the global voice for and of the cooperative movement, uniting, representing, and serving its members (which are national level federations of co-operatives and individual co-operative organisations).

To accomplish its purposes, the Alliance is organised with a Global Office, four Regional Offices (Europe, Africa, Americas, and Asia-Pacific), and eight Sectoral Organisations (Banking, Agriculture, Fisheries, Insurance, Health, Housing, Consumer Co-operatives, and Worker Cooperatives).

Government entities can become Associate Members.

In 2012, the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives, members agreed the admission of governmental agencies into associate membership. This nonvoting category of membership allows governmental agencies with a co-operative mandate to network with colleagues around the world, to participate in relevant conferences, and to influence and benefit from contemporary thought on key co-operative issues.

III. Duties & Responsibilities

The Consultant will be responsible for the delivery of a report mapping the global government entities with a co-operative mandate. This mapping should include:

The government agencies with a co-operative mandate in each country, with contact details including Minister in charge, registrar, other main contact as applicable, postal address, emails, telephone numbers, and website.
There should be a short case-profile explaining their mandate with the co-operative movement in their country, how they fit within the overall government structure, when there will be the next change-over of the government that might change the contacts and ministry, and the international language(s) spoken (English, French, Spanish).
Web link to co-operative legislation in the country (if available).

IV. Process

The Alliance Global Office can facilitate or arrange discussions with key informants who might be able to provide input and feedback for the mapping, but the Consultant should have familiarity with the subject and access to key thinkers in this field. The Global Office will also provide an excerpt of contact details that have already been gathered on government entities with a co-operative mandate, but this will need to be updated.

Those interested should contact Gretchen Hacquard, Director of Membership, at hacquard at ica.coop with a cover letter of interest and CV.