Global apex body of cooperatives, International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is organizing Global Conference in October in Rwanada. The theme of the conference is “Cooperatives for Development”.
Dr Vandana Shiva, the well-known global environmental activist who continues to inspire generation after generation will set the tone of the conference and will focus on one of the main challenges of our time -climate change and environmental degradation, claims a press release from ICA.
The release also says “The conference will host several high-level speakers including the President of the Republic of Rwanda, His Excellency Mr. Paul Kagame, ICA President Mr. Ariel Guarco, ICA-Africa President Mr. Japeth Magomere, the President of the National Cooperative Confederation of Rwanda the Ambassador of the European Union to Rwanda, Mr. Nicola Bellomo, and the ILO’s Regional Director for Africa, Ms. Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon.”
The conference will unfold with multiple sessions animated by high-level representatives from International Institutions, Civil Society Organizations and the cooperative movement, states the release.
The sessions will discuss the comparative advantages of cooperatives within SDGs classified thematically and sector-wise, focusing not only on the global political discourse but also on the local, national and international experiential (knowledge sharing) testimonies.
This conference has also prompted the Rwandan Government to organize the very first global inter-governmental meeting on cooperatives on 18 October 2019, where governments will discuss the conference recommendations and arguments in favour of scaling up cooperatives’ contributions to the SDGs, states the mail.