| Purpose of the organization: |
OUR WORK Our main area of activity is advocacy in civil society and public policies. We organize, represent and articulate cooperatives and solidarity economy enterprises to promote sustainable development. And to achieve that: - We articulate and monitor public policies and partnerships that promote the strengthening of Cooperativism and Solidarity Economy at the municipal, state and federal levels. - We seek strategic spaces for the development of cooperatives and solidarity economic enterprises, to promote the production and commercialization of products and services. - We represent cooperatives and associations of solidarity economic enterprises in councils and forums of civil society and government spaces, in national and international levels. - We support and encourage the construction of Cooperativism and Solidarity Economy protagonized by and for women and youth. OUR HISTORY The National Union of Solidarity Cooperativists Organizations (UNICOPAS) was created in 2014 with the objective of acting in the conception and strengthening of Cooperativism and Solidarity Economy in Brazil. WHO WE ARE We unite the four largest representative institutions of Cooperatives and Solidarity Economy of the country: the National Union of Cooperatives of Family Agriculture and Solidarity Economy (UNICAFES), the Central of Cooperatives and Solidarity Enterprises of Brazil (UNISOL Brasil), the National Confederation of Cooperatives of Agrarian Reform of Brazil (Concrab) and the National Union of Collectors of Recyclable Materials in Brazil (Unicatadores). We represent more than 2.500 cooperatives, productive associations and self-managed companies in the countryside and in the city, adding around 800.000 associates. Among them: family farmers, artisans, collectors of recyclable materials, rural population of agrarian reform settlements, traditional communities (indigenous, riverside communities, quilombolas and extractivists), people with psychosocial deficiency, workers of recovered companies, women, men and young people who are members of solidarity economic enterprises, urban and rural women and youth groups, among others. |
| Activities relevant to the conference of States Parties to the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: |
We are currently carrying out a series of activities aimed at guaranteeing the economic and social rights of cooperative and solidarity-based audiences, especially the most vulnerable groups, such as: traditional communities (riverine, quilombola, indigenous); family farmers; waste pickers; homeless population; people with mental illnesses; persons with disabilities; substance abusers. Some examples of these activities are: investigation and referral of reports of violations of human, economic and social rights through, the National Human Rights Council, State Council of Human Rights of São Paulo (CONDEPE SP), legislative commissions (such as the Commission for Participatory Legislation and the National Integration and Regional Development Commission of the Amazon), among other spaces in which we operate. |
| Confirmation of the activities of the organization at the regional, national or international level: |
National level: we are based in Brazil. International level: advocacy activities. |
| A list of members of the governing body of the organization, and their countries of nationality: |
President – Arildo Mota Lopes, Brazilian Vice-president – Francisco Dal Chiavon, Brazilian Treasurer / Financial Director – Luiz Ademir Possamai, Brazilian General Secretary – Aline Sousa da Silva, Brazilian Titular Fiscal Councils – Carlos Alencar Cavalcanti (Brazilian), Genes da Fonseca Rosa (Brazilian), Adriana Pereira Santos (Brazilian). And Substitutive Fiscal Councils – Fagner dos Santos Araújo (Brazilian), Magda de Almeida (Brazilian), Fabio Ramos Nunez (Brazilian). |
| Description of the membership of the organization, indicating the total number of members: |
Number of members: 4 representative organizations of cooperativism and solidarity economy. This 4 institutions represents other 2500 cooperatives, associations and solidarity economic enterprises. In the board director: 10 people (which are represented by delegates indicated by its organizations) |
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