On 25 November, co-operators from around the world will descend on New Delhi for the 2024 ICA Global Cooperative Conference – which is being held on Indian soil for the first time. The event includes the ICA’s General Assembly as well as the official launch of the 2025 UN International Year of Cooperatives (IYC).
“Asia is a region that is demographically rich, culturally diverse, economically dynamic, and deeply rooted in history,” says ICA director general, Jeroen Douglas, who recently toured the region ahead of the event, meeting with government officials and leaders from the ICA Asia Pacific Office, the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) and Indian Farmer Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO).
IFFCO, along with the ICA’s other 17 members from India, are hosting the conference, which will take place at the Bharat Mandapam in the Indian capital on 25-30 November under the theme ‘Cooperatives build prosperity for all’.
“The conference theme is inspired by the motto of the Indian co-operative movement: peace, progress and prosperity,” adds Douglas. “At this conference, we want to foster global co-operation, highlighting co-operative regions of prosperity, inspirational regions, and promote co-ops as people-centred, purpose-led, and planet-conscious organisations. We will be framing keynotes, plenaries and workshops around four equally important priorities. Those priorities will be the guiding strategic action plan to accelerate and to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
These priorities, says Douglas, include looking at how co-ops build enabling policy and entrepreneurial ecosystems; reaffirming the co-operative identity; nurturing purposeful leadership; and shaping a just, equal and resilient future.
“We are putting together a very inspiring programme with speakers from all over the world and we have the best hosts we could dream of in IFFCO with the support of the 18 ICA Indian members,” says Douglas, “so I invite the whole co-operative world and beyond to join us at the Bharat Mandapam in November to take part, express your pride in co-operation, meet and inspire, exchange and learn, for business, contracts, and promising innovations.”
Speakers include UN officials and government representatives such as Antonio Guterres (UN secretary-general), Tshering Tobgay (prime minister of Bhutan), Aicha Errifaai (general director of the Office of Cooperation Development in Morocco) and Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani – (secretary of India’s Ministry of Cooperation). There will also be a range of experts on communication (Cory Doctorow – blogger, journalist, science fiction writer), food (Revant Himatsingka, healthy food influencer and ‘Food Pharmer’), Fairtrade (Sandra Uwera Murasa, global CEO at Fairtrade International) and technology (Trebor Scholz – founding director of the New School’s Platform Cooperativism Consortium) alongside activists, practitioners and co-operative leaders.
The conference starts on Monday 25 November with the launch ceremony of the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives. This will build on the 2012 IYC “and on the reality that the co-operative movement is one of the few viable and living global social answers to building a more inclusive and sustainable economy that works for all,” says Douglas.
Tuesday 26 and 27 November will see plenaries and parallel sessions discussing the four priorities, alongside a Coopathon and film screenings (including The Rochdale Pioneers, commissioned by the UK’s Co-op Group for the 2012 IYC).
The Coopathon is a collaborative event to “develop innovative co-operative solutions for global challenges such as climate change, migration, and technology integration”. Led by the ICA Global Youth Network, participants will engage in a hackathon to brainstorm ideas that promote solidarity, resilience, and sustainable development within the co-op movement. By leveraging technology, data analytics, and social entrepreneurship, the Coopathon aims “to foster cooperation and mutual support among co-operatives to address complex issues in today’s world”.
Thursday 28 and Friday 29 November will see meetings held by ICA sectoral, regional and thematic groups, including the Regional Assembly of ICA Africa, closing with the ICA General Assembly. On 30 November, IFFCO is sponsoring trips for registered delegates to visit Agra (home of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort) and Vadodara (to visit the Statue of Unity), and sightseeing tours around New Delhi. Throughout the event, the Cooperative Exposition will bring together sellers, buyers, and co-op enthusiasts.
A global conference will attract global visitors, most of whom will be travelling by plane which, alongside internal travel and energy use, means climate emissions. To mitigate this, IFFCO is planning to plant 10,000 peepal saplings across Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
The peepal (Ficus religiosa) or sacred fig is a species native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to the fig or mulberry family and is considered sacred by the followers of Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism. They live up to 100 years, growing 30 metres tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 3 metres. They are also known for their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
“IFFCO wants to contribute to a greener environment, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change, and set an example of environmental responsibility for future gatherings” says an IFFCO spokesperson.
The Global Conference is Douglas’ first as director general. “It is the single biggest multi-continental co-operative event,” he says, “bringing together co-operatives and mutuals, federations and national apex bodies, so I am very much looking forward to meeting with the movement.”
Douglas adds he is “thrilled so many people have registered” already, but urges people thinking of booking to do so soon. “The security process can mean visas and other security measures can take longer than expected, and we don’t want you to miss out on this extraordinary opportunity. Registering now will ensure there will be time for visas to be processed and flights and accommodation confirmed.”
“The ICA Global Conference brings people together, regardless of age, race, gender, culture or nationality. It’s not just about speakers and leaders, but about co-operators from across the movement finding comfort and exchange with each other. It’s about celebrating the global success of the movement, cherishing our history and building together a better future.”
He also believes the Global Conference “offers a moment of reflection”.
“The Conference takes place every two years and is the perfect gathering to inspire and be inspired, to learn and to teach. There is pride in representing something amazing for and from your country. For many participants, it is a life-changing event; they remember previous conferences as special moments in their co-operative careers and lives.”
Courtesy: News.coop
