WOCCU's AGM Has Record Numbers

Nassau, Bahamas-At this year's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Nassau, Bahamas, World Council of Credit Unions, Inc. (WOCCU) welcomed more than 200 attendees of the conference to see the World Council's Board of Directors and Delegates prepare for the coming year.

Arthur Arnold, WOCCU president and CEO reported on the achievements for World Council in 2003, giving an overview of the three different missions: advocacy, platform and development. He commented on highlights in each area, referring to the 2003 Annual Report and Statistical Report recently released.

Arnold explained the change in the bylaws made by the WOCCU General Assembly to become even more inclusive, allowing smaller national associations and regional confederations to become members of WOCCU. "We continue to grow in our activities. I thank the Board of Directors and General Assembly delegates for their guidance and support and the WOCCU staff, in Madison, Washington, DC and our field projects for their commitment and dedication to make our work a success," shared Arnold.

L.R. (Bobby) McVeigh explained and gave the Board Chairman's report noting that WOCCU continues to move forward with good governance principles. Based on a 2003 Strategic Planning Forum, the board concluded that governance is a priority item and to this end have added a 4th mission to WOCCU. World Council anticipates issuing guidelines for good governance for the end of fourth quarter of 2004.

Since the 2003 AGM in Brisbane, Australia, three new member countries have been announced, Rwanda, Brazil, and, most recently, Costa Rica. The WOCCU Board approved, as of last week, the membership of Costa Rica's FEDEAC. Síncrito Cifuentes accepted the WOCCU membership flag on behalf of FEDEAC.

During the meeting, McVeigh acknowledged the work of Marcel Chorel, both as a delegate and board member of WOCCU. Chorel has made an effective contribution to the committees, specifically WYCUP, and through his work to initiate a similar program in the Canadian system. McVeigh honored Chorel with a plaque of recognition. Chorel will now be leaving the board.

Chorel said, "Serving on the WOCCU board has been both an honor and privilege. There have been many tremendous strides in furthering credit union development in the world. The most rewarding aspect has been being nominated to serve on the WYCUP committee and the friendships that have developed with the world credit union committee."

Jim McMahon from Ireland, who was unable to attend due to illness, will also be leaving the WOCCU Board this year. A plaque presentation in his honor will be made at a later date.

The next Annual General Meeting will be held in Rome, Italy July 26, 2005.

El Consejo Mundial de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito es la asociación gremial y agencia de desarrollo para el sistema internacional de cooperativas de ahorro y crédito. El Consejo Mundial promueve el crecimiento sustentable de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y otras cooperativas financieras en todo el mundo a fin de facultar a las personas para que mejoren su calidad de vida a través del acceso a servicios financieros asequibles y de alta calidad. El Consejo Mundial realiza esfuerzos de defensa activa en representación del sistema global de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito ante organizaciones internacionales y trabaja con gobiernos nacionales para mejorar la legislación y la regulación. Sus programas de asistencia técnica introducen nuevas herramientas y tecnologías para fortalecer el desempeño financiero de las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito y profundizar su alcance comunitario.

El Consejo Mundial ha implementado 290 programas de asistencia técnica en 71 países. A nivel mundial, 51,000 cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en 100 países atienden a 196 millones de personas. Obtenga más información sobre el impacto global del Consejo Mundial en www.woccu.org.