TEHRAN – The Iran Central Chamber of Cooperatives (ICCC) will represent the country in the first World Cooperatives Exhibition (ICA Expo 2008) which kicks off today in Lisbon.

The International Cooperatives Alliance (ICA) has organized the event, ICCC Deputy Secretary General Ebrahim Tehrani was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency on Wednesday.
The 2-day expo will be a suitable venue to “promote culture and economy of cooperatives and developing its activities, expand cooperation amongst member cooperatives, and exchange experiences,” Tehrani stated.
The participation of Iran Chamber of Cooperatives in the event is in line with ICA tenets, he said, adding that the chamber is aimed at “helping develop non-oil exports and introduce goods qualified for exports in the fields of agriculture, carpet, handicrafts, car making, food industry, technical and engineering services, etc.”
The expo is aimed at expansion and practice of inter-cooperation by means of strategic alliances; commercial development by promoting economic policies, professional update, business opportunities, access to new technologies and trends and strengthening of the contact network; creation of economic tools for competition amongst cooperative products and services on a worldwide level; generation of positive financial results, time optimization, and costs reduction on selling actions.
The ICA is an independent organization that unites, represents, and serves cooperatives worldwide. ICA members are national and international cooperative organizations in all sectors. Currently, ICA has 225 member organizations from 87 countries, representing more than 800 million people worldwide.