International Cooperative Alliance

17/06/2026

On 4 July, cooperatives around the world will celebrate under the theme “Cooperatives for a Peaceful World”.

At a time when conflict, displacement, social fragmentation, and declining trust are affecting communities across the globe, peace cannot be understood simply as the absence of violence. Sustainable peace requires inclusion, participation, accountability, and opportunities for people to work together towards shared goals.

This is where cooperatives make a difference.

As democratic, member-owned enterprises, cooperatives help build the foundations of what peace scholar Johan Galtung described as "positive peace": societies characterized by justice, inclusion, cooperation, and trust. Through democratic governance, shared ownership, and concern for community, cooperatives strengthen social cohesion, promote participation, and create pathways for peaceful and inclusive development.

The latest Policy Brief on Cooperative Contributions to SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, developed by COPAC and the ICA, highlights how cooperatives contribute to more peaceful and inclusive societies by:

• Strengthening democratic participation and accountable governance.
• Creating spaces for dialogue, reconciliation, and community cooperation.
• Addressing exclusion and inequality, key drivers of instability.
• Promoting transparency, collective oversight, and institutional trust.
• Supporting social cohesion in conflict-affected and fragile contexts.
• Empowering communities to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

From post-conflict reconciliation through agricultural cooperatives in , to the fight against gender-based violence led by cooperatives in ; from the resilience of women-led dairy cooperatives in , to the grassroots mobilisation of landless women in , the case studies in this Policy Brief show that peace is built not only through institutions, but through participation, solidarity, and collective action.

📘 Download the SDG 16 Policy Brief – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: https://ica.coop/en/media/library/iyc-sdg-briefs-sdg-16-peace-justice-and-strong-institutions

🙏 Thanks to our colleagues at International Cooperative Alliance-Africa, Coop Americas, International Co-operative Alliance-Asia and Pacific and Cooperatives Europe for their support in jointly developing this document.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) | United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) | International Labour Organization | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) | International Trade Centre | European Commission

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16/06/2026

📺📻 in the spotlight on Panamanian TV and radio.

ICA Director-General Jeroen Douglas joined Boris Allara Alemán, Deputy Executive Director of Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo (IPACOOP), and Danilo Salerno Regional Director of Cooperativas de las Américas, on SERTV Noticias' Noticiero Matutino (Morning News) and Nacional FM 101.7 to discuss Panama's role as host of the ICA Global Conference and Assemblies 2026.

During the interview, Jeroen highlighted the scale and reach of the global cooperative movement, which brings together millions of cooperatives and more than one billion members worldwide. He also spoke about the opportunity for Panama to welcome cooperative leaders, federations, and organisations from across the globe this September.

Under the theme Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World, will bring the global cooperative movement together in Panama City from 13–18 September 2026.

Check out excerpts of the interview here: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZnZ8GaxUKN/
https://www.instagram.com/stories/ipacoop_/

🌍 Learn more: icapanama2026.coop

15/06/2026

🌉 Three months to go until !

In just three months, cooperators, leaders, policymakers, researchers, and partners from around the world will gather in Panama City for the ICA Global Conference and Assemblies 2026.

Under the theme Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World, the conference will provide a unique space for cooperators to come together, share their successes and learn from one another. This experience will offer opportunities to build new connections and renew existing ones, experience cooperation across cultures, and develop concrete ideas and initiatives to take back to your organisation.

The official conference website is now the central hub for everything related to . From registration to programme updates, accommodation options, visa guidance, travel information, and conference news, the platform is designed to help participants plan their journey to Panama and make the most of the event experience.

💳 Registration payments are also now fully operational.

🌍 Explore the website: icapanama2026.coop

📍 Panama Convention Centre
🗓️ 13–18 September 2026

15/06/2026

👇🌏 We encourage our ICA members in and the to take part in this survey and share it within their membership to help ensure broad participation from primary .

Your contribution will strengthen our shared understanding of women’s leadership in cooperatives across the region. 💜🤝⤵️⤵️

Primary Cooperatives: What Does Women's Leadership Look Like in Yours?

Help us build a stronger understanding of women's participation and leadership in cooperatives across Asia and the Pacific.

If you are a primary cooperative, or know one that can contribute, scan the QR code or visit the survey link to participate in this regional study by the International Cooperative Alliance - Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP).

🔗 https://icaap.coop/2026/05/07/new-regional-study-to-track-womens-leadership-in-cooperatives-in-asia-and-the-pacific/


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| | International Cooperative Alliance

09/06/2026

🚨 Register now for at icapanama2026.coop

The official website for the ICA Global Conference and Assemblies 2026 in Panama is now live, and registration is officially open.

Join the global cooperative movement in Panama City from 13–18 September 2026 under the theme:
🌉 Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World

The new website is your hub for:
📝 Conference registration
🌍 Programme updates
🏨 Accommodation information
🛂 Visa, travel & logistics guidance
🗓️ Key dates and announcements

The website launch also features the conference’s visual identity, inspired by the Bridge of the Americas, Panamanian cultural elements, biodiversity, and symbols of peace and cooperation.

🌍 Register and explore now:
icapanama2026.coop

📍 Panama Convention Centre
🗓️ 13–18 September 2026

09/06/2026

🌍 Discover cooperative development projects worldwide through MiCDP!

The Mapping International Cooperative Development Programmes (MiCDP) platform (https://micdp.coops4dev.coop/) showcases how cooperatives and cooperative development organisations are contributing to sustainable development across the globe. By mapping projects, partnerships and impact, MiCDP helps make visible the cooperative difference in international development.

Today, we highlight Dou Touloma, a cooperative development initiative in led by the Alliance Agricole Internationale (AAI), a consortium formed by Socodevi, CECI and UPA Développement international. The initiative is supported by Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada.

🌾 The project aims to strengthen the socio-economic empowerment of 13,100 women farmers by improving access to productive resources, strengthening entrepreneurial and technical capacities, and supporting climate-resilient agricultural practices.

🤝 Through women's cooperatives and their unions, Dou Touloma works across key value chains including shallots and onions, cowpea, sesame and rice processing. The initiative also promotes women’s leadership and representation in cooperative decision-making structures, helping ensure that women have a stronger voice in their families, communities and organisations.

🎯 Contributing to SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, the project demonstrates how cooperatives can advance food security, gender equality and sustainable rural development in the face of climate change.

ℹ️ Learn more about the project through MiCDP: https://micdp.coops4dev.coop/project/dou-touloma

MiCDP is part of the ICA–EU Partnership (2024–2028), also known as 🌍, a five-year international cooperative development programme co-funded by the European Union, aiming to strengthen the ICA network and position cooperatives as key actors in international development within the EU development agenda.

MiCDP is also developed in collaboration with the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC).

International Cooperative Alliance-Africa

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04/06/2026

📣 One month to go until !

The countdown is officially on.

Today, we're releasing the 2026 media pack and the new SDG 16 policy brief, giving cooperatives around the world the tools, ideas, and inspiration to mark this year's global call to action for a peaceful world.

At a time when many communities are facing conflict, division, and uncertainty, this year's theme highlights how cooperatives build trust, strengthen inclusion, create opportunities, and bring people together.

Ready to get involved? 📦 View the media pack here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hrqcbh2TSiA5KNSJ3vwpvMYVQMC2_IhTMJnM72S1OGc/edit?tab=t.0 =h.v7jty9f2zyl

📸 Share your stories, photos, and videos
🗺️ Add your activities to the CoopsDay Map
📢 Engage local media and policymakers
🤝 Bring schools, NGOs, governments, and communities into the conversation

Also out today: SDG 16: Cooperatives as Agents of Positive Peace, featuring examples from around the world that show how cooperatives contribute to peacebuilding, democratic participation, and stronger institutions. Check it out here: https://ica.coop/en/newsroom/news/building-better-world-through-peace-justice-and-strong-institutions

And this is only the beginning.

The journey continues towards :🌉 Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World

How will your cooperative mark ?

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02/06/2026

📣 2026 is coming soon!

During today's ICA Members' Chat, members from around the world came together to discuss preparations for this year's International Day of Cooperatives and share ideas on how to bring the theme, "Cooperatives for a Peaceful World", to life in their communities.

On June 4th, exactly one month before , the ICA will release the 2026 communications materials, including:
▪️ The media kit
▪️ Ready-to-use social media content
▪️ Visual assets and promotional materials
▪️ Communications guidance for members and partners

Everyone is encouraged to join the global campaign by sharing their activities, stories, photos, and videos, helping showcase how cooperatives are contributing to a more peaceful world. The campaign materials will be released through ICA's social media channels, the ICA website, and the dedicated website, coopsday.coop.

Need materials in your own language? We can help process logo requests and adaptations. Contact: [email protected]

The discussion today also explored ways to celebrate with schools, governments, NGOs, communities, and policymakers, how to use the Map and gallery to showcase activities, and how cooperatives can use this moment to demonstrate their contributions to peace, inclusion, dialogue, and social cohesion.

The upcoming policy brief, SDG 16: Cooperatives as Agents of Positive Peace, was also mentioned during the discussion. Members were encouraged to engage policymakers and demonstrate how cooperatives contribute to more peaceful, inclusive, and resilient societies. The policy brief will also be released on June 4th.

Participants also explored how this year's theme connects to the broader conversations leading to in September, where cooperative leaders from around the world will gather under the theme: Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World.

The conversation also touched on culturalheritage.coop, reflecting on how peace is built through everyday cooperation. The spaces, structures, stories, and practices that bring people together are part of that legacy, and preserving them helps keep cooperative values and experiences alive for future generations.

How will you celebrate this year?

01/06/2026

🌍 What does peace have to do with cooperative finance?

That was one of the questions explored last week during the ICBA Symposium 2026 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, bringing together cooperative banking and finance leaders from around the world.

The discussions carried a clear message that cooperative finance is not a niche sector. It is a major force in the global economy, helping communities access credit, housing, livelihoods, and opportunities while strengthening resilience and inclusion.

Speaking during the symposium, ICA President Ariel Guarco argued that peace is not only the absence of war, but also access to housing, work, credit, opportunity, and participation. As he put it: “Profitability can coexist with solidarity. Efficiency can coexist with democracy. Innovation can coexist with commitment to communities.”

Meanwhile, ICA Director-General Jeroen Douglas highlighted the scale of cooperative and mutual finance globally, representing trillions of dollars in assets and serving hundreds of millions of people, and the opportunity to connect capital more directly to communities through initiatives such as .

Marjan Trompetter, chair of the supervisory committee of Rabobank , gave the opening keynote address, while Mirjam t Lam, CEO of Oikocredit International, gave the closing keynote address.

The ICBA also signed an MoU with Aflatoun International to foster youth participation in cooperative banking worldwide.

In a symbolic moment, delegates raised copies of the UN Charter, expressing their collective commitment to uphold the rule of law and pursue peace as a shared goal.

As the cooperative movement prepares for , the conversation continues: how can cooperative finance help build bridges towards a more peaceful world?

28/05/2026

Spanish newspaper Diario de Navarra recently featured the meeting of Asociación de Empresas de Economía Social de Navarra (ANEL) with leading European and global cooperative organisations, highlighting how the Navarrese cooperative ecosystem is being recognised as a potential model for wider European cooperation and development.

The article highlights discussions between Ignacio Ugalde and Pablo Lansac Colom of ANEL | Empresas Economía Social de Navarra, Erdmuthe Klaer-Morselli of REVES - European Network of Cities and Regions for the Social Economy, Diana Dovgan of CECOP, and Jeroen Douglas and Leire Luengo Eslava of the ICA.

ICA Director-General Jeroen Douglas described Navarre as “a European benchmark” in cooperativism, pointing to its potential to inspire scalable solutions across Europe.

The feature also explores how cooperative models are contributing to conversations on resilience, participation, quality jobs, and social cohesion at the European level.

Read more via Diario de Navarra here: https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/negocios/dn-management/emprendedores/2026/05/21/bruselas-avala-modelo-emprendimiento-cooperativo-anel-plantea-proyeccion-conjunto-union-europea-821647-91.html