Global event

ICA members come together to elect the new Global Board and President and shape the future leadership of the cooperative movement
Contact persons: Ariel Guarco (Host) · Blase Lambert (Chair of the Elections Committee) · Jeroen Douglas (Event coordination) · Gretchen Hacquard (Electoral matters)

The Masters of Ceremonies welcome participants to the first day of the Global Cooperative Conference and set the stage for the programme ahead

Participants are kindly requested to be seated by 9:15 a.m.

Leaders from Panama, the international cooperative movement and the United Nations come together to officially open the Conference and set the stage for "Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World"

Speakers:
- H.E. José Raúl Mulino Quintero (Panama): President of the Republic of Panama
- Rolando González Patricio (Cuba): President of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino)
- Ana Graça (Portugal): United Nations Resident Coordinator in Panama
- Erika Vargas (Panama): Executive Director of IPACOOP
- Ariel Guarco (Argentina): President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)
- José Alves de Souza Neto (Brazil): President of Cooperatives of the Americas

Opportunity for initial networking and informal exchange among global delegates

An inspirational session led by Bjørg Sandkjær (Norway), Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) of the United Nations, exploring how cooperation, dialogue, and shared values can bridge divides, strengthen human solidarity, and contribute to a more peaceful and inclusive world

Launch of a series of policy briefs highlighting cooperative contributions to each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthening the cooperative movement’s role as a key partner in their implementation

Speaker: Jeroen Douglas (Netherlands), Director General of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)

How can cooperation help build a more peaceful and inclusive multilateral system? This panel explores the role of cooperatives in strengthening governance, economic integration and enabling legal environments for peace and sustainable development

Speakers:

- Mario Lubetkin (Uruguay): Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay and President of the G77
- Andrea Matteo Fontana (Italy): Ambassador-designate of the European Union to Panama (TBC)
- Shobha Shetty (India): Senior Adviser, Agriculture, World Bank Group, and Head of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP)
- Thérèse Faye Diouf (Senegal): Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs of the Pan-African Parliament
- Amparo Merino Segovia (Spain): Secretary of State for the Social Economy in the Government of Spain

Discussant: Hagen Henrÿ (Germany), Chair of the ICA Cooperative Law Committee

Moderator: Jeroen Douglas (The Netherlands)

Rapporteur: Joseph Njuguna (Kenya)

Mid-day networking session over lunch

A curated showcase of local culture accompanied by a coffee station to facilitate continued delegate interaction

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 (click on the activity title to learn more):

PRACTICE (Rooms: CARIBE 1–2–3): Building Bridges Across Generations: Global Cooperative Leaders and CM50 Advancing the PRACTICE Pillar
Explore youth participation, women’s leadership, CM50, inclusive governance and cooperation across generations (contact persons: Ingrid Colanero & Jan Kellet)
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PROMOTE (Rooms: AMÉRICA 1–2 ): Building Bridges Through Communication and Advocacy: From Visibility to Influence — Advancing the PROMOTE Pillar
Discover how strategic communication, advocacy and policy engagement can turn cooperative visibility into influence (contact person: Leire Luengo)
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PROTECT (Room: AMÉRICA 3): 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 cooperative identity as the movement evolves. At 18:00, a short ceremony will be held to honour the custodians of sites inscribed on the inaugural 2025 ICA Cooperative Cultural Heritage List (contact person: Santosh Kumar)
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These breakout sessions are organised under the ICA-EU Partnership (2024-2028) #coops4dev🌍, co-funded by the European Union

Coffee gathering with an artistic presentation/performance

Welcome to the second day of the Global Cooperative Conference by the Masters of Ceremony

Participants are kindly requested to be seated by 8:55 a.m.

Special address by Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance

Ministerial voices from Panama and Kiribati:
- Hon. Gloria María De León Zubieta: Minister of Tourism of Panama
- Hon. Tangariki Reete: Minister of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives of Kiribati

A multi-generational panel exploring cooperative leadership, local economies, technology and AI, and the role of cooperatives in peacebuilding.

Speakers: María Ortiz Pérez (Mexico) · David Aguilar (Panamá) · Valtencir Mendes (Brazil) · Donna Dizon (Philippines) · Dr. Halefom Gezaei Abera (Ethiopia) · Francois Dionne (Canada) · Simone Gamberini (Italy)

Discussants: 2 children and 2 youth cooperators from Panamá

Moderator: Danilo Salerno, Director of Cooperatives of the Americas

Launch of the book “Cooperativas en Acción, II” by Dr. Ariel Guarco, presented by Dr. José Alves de Souza Neto, President of Cooperatives of the Americas
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Brief updates on global cooperative visibility, including the COOP Marque, the Cooperative Cultural Heritage (CCH) programme, AMICUS, Legal Framework Analysis and the outcomes of the Cooperative Law Congress:
- Violetta Nafpaktiti: CEO of DotCooperation (DotCoop)
- Tiago Schmidt: President of Sicredi Pioneira Brazil and Lead for CCH
- Noel Raboy, CEO and President of CLIMBS, Philippines, and Board member of the Fund for International Cooperative Development, and Donna Dizon, Vice-President of CLIMBS

Read by Jeroen Douglas, ICA Director General; Danilo Salerno, Director of Cooperatives of the Americas; and Dante Cracogna, President of the Cooperative Law Commission of the Americas

Concluding reflections from Panama and the leadership of the global cooperative movement

- Ariel Guarco (Argentina): President of the ICA
- José Alves de Souza Neto (Brazil): President of Cooperatives of the Americas
- Erika Vargas (Panama): Executive Director of IPACOOP
- Alex Ortega (Panama): President of Cooperativa Profesionales

A hands-on origami session bringing participants together to fold paper peace doves

- Ms. Chitose Arai, president of the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union (JCCU), will lead the session together with participants from the Japanese co-operative movement

- Kenki Maeda, General Manager of the Department for Cooperation among Cooperatives at the Japan Cooperative Alliance

Join together for a collective performance of the song “Imagine” as we release the paper peace doves created earlier, celebrating peace, unity and hope, followed by a group photo

Time to network, connect and refuel

A special bingo activity organised by the First Lady of the Republic of Panama, Hon. Maricel Cohen de Mulino, bringing participants together in support of solidarity and Panama’s National Oncology Institute
Click on the title to access the registration link