TEHRAN – The secretary general of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) praised the work of Mehr Housing Co-operatives.

Isna news agency quoted Yan Mc Donald, who is in Iran to meet the Iranian Minister of Cooperatives Mohammad Abbasi, as saying that the growth of Mehr Housing Co-operatives has been incredible.
He called on Iran’s co-operatives ministry to enhance its cooperation in regional and international scales with ICA in order to transfer its basic cooperative knowledge.
Founded in 1895, the International Cooperative Alliance is an independent, non-governmental organization which unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide. It is the largest non-governmental organization in the world.
ICA members are national and international cooperative organizations in all sectors of activity including agriculture, banking, fisheries, health, housing, industry, insurance, tourism and consumer co-operatives.
Currently, ICA has 237 member organizations from 89 countries, representing more than 800 million individuals worldwide.
Its aim is elevating and supporting independent co-operatives and to facilitate economic and social developments of its member states.
ICA's priorities and activities center on promoting and defending the Cooperative Identity, ensuring that cooperative enterprise is a recognized form of enterprise that is able to compete in the marketplace.
ICA provides its members with key information, best practice and contacts. Through its publications it ensures the sharing of information. It organizes meetings and workshops to address key issues affecting co-operatives and allows discussion among co-operators from around the world