As the countdown to Congress continues, the line up of speakers and facilitators is growing! Cooperators from different countries and different sectors will join together on the 3-day Congress platform to explore the idea of Deepening the Cooperative Identity. Who has been confirmed recently? 

From the workers movements, Guy Ryder (Director General of the International Labor Organization) will be joining the lineup as a keynote speaker. He brings with him immense international experience of trade unions, labour standards and putting principles into action. 

From the housing movements, Alexandra Wilson and Julie LaPalme, both based in Canada will be joining sessions looking at the close relationship between affordable energy and affordable housing at all levels of society – and what role this plays in Living our Cooperative Identity. Alexandra Wilson discovered a passion for cooperatives in 1974, when she led her neighbours in a successful fight to create the Bain Apartments Cooperative, stopping the landlord’s plans to evict 260 low-income households. She spent 22 years on the board of Cooperative Housing International (CHI) and in 2017 was elected to the global board of the ICA. Julie LaPalme is the current Secretary General for CHI, and actively champions environmentally sustainable practices in housing cooperatives and beyond.

And from the health sectors, Dr. Carlos Zarcoc and Jose Pérez will join Congress from the International Health Cooperative Organisation (IHCO), as there are few issues that unite people around the world more than health care and health-related social services, especially under a global pandemic. Dr. Carlos Zarco is IHCO President, as well as the Medical Director of the Moncloa University Hospital in Madrid (Spain) and a member of the Board and Director-General of Fundación Espriu. Jose Pérez has been working on the promotion of health cooperatives since 2000. He is currently Deputy Director of Fundación Espriu, and Secretary-General of the IHCO.

We will keep you updated as more speakers, facilitators and panelists are announced from every corner of the world!