CUNA called on the House Appropriations Committee to ensure increased funding for U.S. Agency for International Development’s Cooperative Development Program (CDP) in FY2022. The CDP is a global initiative administered by the that focuses on building capacity of cooperative businesses and cooperative systems. It was funded at $18.5 million last year, and CUNA has called for it to be raised to $20 million.

“With their specialized expertise, CDP’s implementing partners have advanced cooperative businesses and systems in more than 18 countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Activities are targeted to strengthen cooperative businesses in several ways including improved governance, capitalization, gender empowerment, youth engagement, financial management, market performance, and advocacy,” the letter reads. “The program also prioritizes collaboration among partners through working groups, cooperative research, learning, and dissemination of cooperative development resources.”

Activities have supported more than 500 cooperatives and credit unions with a combined savings of $495 million through the life of the program.

It has also

• Provided health insurance and services to more than 42,000 people in Uganda;
• Leveraged more than $95 million of investments for cattle cooperatives in South Africa;
• Increased member equity among cacao cooperatives in Ecuador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic by more than $4 million; and
• Reformed cooperative law and regulation in Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Ukraine. 

The letter also continues CUNA’s call for procurement reform at USAID that ensures fair access to agency awards for smaller U.S. private voluntary and not-for-profit organizations. The letter calls on report language in appropriations legislation that would encourage prioritization of these organizations.