Official Launch and Commentary on The U.S. - Cuba Cooperative Working Group and release of Cuba Cooperative Report

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A press conference to announce the formal launch of the U.S. Cuba Cooperative Working Group, a national-level, multi-sectoral U.S. cooperative leadership group representing consumer, purchasing, worker, and producer cooperatives from a broad range of industries, such as agriculture, energy, finance, grocery, consumer goods, transportation, insurance, and housing, among others. The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) leads the USCCWG. Invited guests are representatives from the Cuba Special Interest Section, members of the House and Senate, and the White House.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 @ 10:00 a.m. EST
Press Conference: Click here to register
RSVP Required           

WHERE: The National Press Club 
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC 20045

WHY: The USCCWG's mission is to promote mutually beneficial engagement between the U.S. and Cuba's cooperative sectors in an effort to support US cooperative growth and Cuban economic progress that will result from the ongoing success of strong and vibrant cooperatives in both countries. The USCCWG's first project was a one-week exploratory trip to Cuba in July 2014 to better understand the Cuban cooperative movement, and the increasingly important role that cooperatives are playing in the process of economic reform.

As U.S. cooperative leaders from across economic sectors, the USCCWG is well-positioned to engage in programs and initiatives aimed at strengthening and learning from Cuban cooperative development that are based on the country's unique needs and grounded in the international cooperative movement, which boasts over 1 billion members worldwide.

WHO: The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is the oldest not-for-profit cooperative trade association in the United States and an international development organization working in 16 countries in Africa, Latin America, and South East Asia. For nearly 100 years, NCBA CLUSA has highlighted the impact that cooperatives have in bettering the lives of individuals, families, and communities. NCBA CLUSA's international program has a 60-year history of supporting cooperative development in over 100 countries around the world. NCBA CLUSA works in the areas of food security, agricultural development, strengthening of communities and farmer organizations, community-based health, natural resources management, and empowerment of smallholder farmers, women, and youth.

Contact: John Torres
202-383-5452
[email protected]

SOURCE National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International