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~ Welcome to the daily newsletter of #coopconference19,
the ICA global conference! ~

Wednesday 16 October 2019

Welcome to the second full day in Kigali! Yesterday was a day of incredible learning between people, countries and cooperatives, and today promises to be more of the same.

In her morning keynote, Dr Vandana Shiva said that cooperatives "are the future" – but that first they need to combat the "casino economy". In the first Plenary session, panelists looked at how coops are a powerful vehicle to energise development, while in the afternoon Plenary, delegates heard how women and young people have a critical role to play in preserving the environment in Africa and beyond.

Read more: Dr Vandana Shiva calls on cooperatives to combat the casino economy
Read more: Plenary I – How cooperatives can energise development
Read more: Plenary II – Preserving the environment in Africa and beyond

The first full day

Tuesday was packed with a rousing keynote, informative Plenaries and practical parallel sessions. While in Kigali, delegates have been sharing stories about their own cooperatives and hearing about others – and have been meeting old friends and making new ones along the way.

Click here for more images from the first full day

Parallel sessions

During the Cooperatives for Development Conference, a series of parallel sessions organised through the ICA-EU Partnership #coops4dev looked at how cooperatives can be key actors of collective action to achieve the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each session addressed a different goal, within the context of the significance of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Read more: What happened in the parallel sessions?

Photos © Sara Vicari / Andrea Mancori

Lights! Camera! Cooperation!

There are over three million cooperatives around the world, each with an individual story to tell. In January, researcher Sara Vicari and filmmaker Andrea Mancori of Aroundtheworld.coop started a year-long adventure in search of some of these stories with the support of the ICA-EU partnership #coops4dev. The result is twelve inspiring short documentaries showcasing the work of – and the people behind – cooperatives across the globe making a difference in their communities. Last night at the ICA international conference some of these films were shown at the Cooperative Cinema Showcase.

What is happening today?

The cooperative movement, which makes up around 10% of the world’s employed population, plays a key role in meeting SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) – this will be the focus of the first Plenary session with Mwambari Faustin (Acting DG of labour and employment); Anne-Laure Desgris (SMart, Belgium); Reema Nanavati (SEWA, India); and Bahman Abdollahi (ICC, Iran). Then the focus of the second Plenary session will be on cooperatives and value chains and their impact from a developmental perspective, with a panel comprising Jean Bosco Harelimana (Rwanda Cooperative Agency), Chris Oluoch (Fairtrade Africa and Eastern - Central Africa Network, Kenya), Iñigo Albizuri Landazabal (Mondragon Corporation, Spain), Kangtae Park (HappyBridge, South Korea) and Thaleon Tremain (Pachamama, USA) with Peter Westall (Midcounties Cooperative, United Kingdom).

In the afternoon the ICA's sectoral organisations are hosting three parallel sessions exploring how cooperatives from different sectors – housing, energy, healthcare and industry – play a role in development and contribute to food security and sustainable production and consumption. And in the evening, the Gala Dinner will include the presentation of the Rochdale Pioneers Award – the highest honour the ICA bestows.

Find the full conference programme online here

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This newsletter is created in partnership between the
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Co-operative News.

This newsletter is created in partnership between the
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Co-operative News.