For more than 100 years, co-operatives have been great advocates for and builders of peace and at a time when the world and our communities at home are becoming more divided places, never has co-operation been needed more.
Co-operatives build peace because they bring people together pooling their talents and assets around a common goal. Co-operation is – to quote William Maxwell, President of the International Co-operative Alliance in 1913 – the antithesis of conflict.
From Guatemala to Rwanda, we have seen co-operation bring people together because while hate divides communities, co-operation truly does bring them together.
The co-operative-inspired village of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom in Israel is one of the most powerful examples of that.
It is a place where Israelis and Palestinians choose to live together in peace, demonstrating how co-operation can build understanding, trust and peace in the most difficult of circumstances.
This film tells the story of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom and that when people come together around a common goal, when they co-operate then peace is possible.
In today’s world we should all remember that – peace is possible.

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