14:45-17:00 Parallel sessions: Three Spaces to Build the Future of Cooperation (Practice, Promote & Protect)

Choose your space and join an interactive exchange of ideas, experiences and practical solutions aligned with the three pillars of the ICA Strategy 2026–2030. Through expert insights, real-world cases and participant dialogue, each session will generate concrete contributions to the Conference Declaration:

PRACTICE — Building Bridges Across Generations: Global Cooperative Leaders and CM50 Advancing the PRACTICE Pillar

Explore how cooperative values become action through youth participation, women’s leadership, inclusive governance and cooperation across generations. Featuring, among others, Silke Staab (UN Women); Kaira Reece (ITUC Americas); Khalat Shikhmous (Cooperatives Committee in Rojava, Syria), and Carlos Heller and María Eugenia Pérez from CM50, alongside youth and cooperative leaders from around the world

• Rooms: Caribe 1-2-3
• Concept note
• Contact persons: Ingrid Colanero & Jan Kellet

PROMOTE — Building Bridges Through Communication and Advocacy: From Visibility to Influence — Advancing the PROMOTE Pillar

How can the cooperative movement turn visibility into influence? Discover practical approaches to strategic communication, advocacy and policy engagement, with contributions from Iñigo Albizuri (Mondragon); Rebecca Harvey (Co-operative News); Maaret Cañedo Lohikoski (ILO); and Andrew Allimadi (UNDESA), among many other voices from the cooperative movement and international organisations.

• Rooms: América 1-2
• Concept note
• Contact person: Leire Luengo

PROTECT — Protecting Cooperative Identity with and Beyond Norms: Ensuring Cooperative Identity Remains Relevant, Resilient and Resonant — Co-designing the PROTECT Pillar

Join a participant-led Cooperative Identity Lab exploring how law, policy, governance, education and technology can protect the cooperative character of enterprises as the movement evolves. Featuring experts including Amb. Dr David Fernández Puyana (UPEACE); Dr Rose Karimi (ICA Africa); Giuseppe Guerini (Cooperatives Europe); and Rose Marley (Co-operatives UK), among many other cooperative, legal and policy experts.

At 18:00, following the conclusion of the session, a short ceremony will be held to honour the custodians of sites inscribed on the inaugural 2025 ICA Cooperative Cultural Heritage List (CCH). The ICA CCH Programme seeks to identify, recognise and promote places, practices and traditions that embody the history, identity and values of the cooperative movement. The 2025 List marked the inaugural global recognition of such cooperative heritage. Commemorative plaques and certificates recognising these sites and their contribution to preserving and promoting cooperative heritage will be presented by Mr. Tiago Schmidt, on behalf of the ICA Cooperative Cultural Heritage Working Group and Programme.

• Room: América 3
• Concept note
• Contact person: Santosh Kumar

These breakout sessions are organised under the ICA-EU Partnership (2024-2028) #coops4dev🌍, co-funded by the European Union