Cooperatives: a proven tool for gender equality

Cooperatives on the agenda at the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women

During a side event at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), cooperatives were highlighted as an innovative pathway to empower communities and transform care systems. Held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10 to 21 March, CSW69 focused on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly.

The side event was jointly organised by the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), the Government Offices of Sweden and We Effect, in collaboration with Cooperatives Europe and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) on 11 March.

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NGO CSW69: How cooperatives are accelerating SDG5

"Gender equality is not a woman's issue, it is a human issue. It affects us all."

On 19 March, ICA-AP and its Committee on Women organised a virtual parallel event at the 69th NGO Committee on the Status of Women Forum on the topic Policy Actions Matter: Cooperatives in Asia-Pacific and Their Initiatives to Foster SDG 5 (Gender Equality), under the theme ‘Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women’.

The event showcased practical examples from the cooperative sector in the Asia and Pacific region that showed how gender-based policies and institutional mechanisms have been put in place to advance women’s empowerment.

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Cooperatives on stage in Brussels: Two Days of Networking and Visibility

Cooperatives were in the spotlight across two key events in Brussels on 17 and 18 March, bringing leaders, business stakeholders, policymakers and institutions together to discuss the future of the cooperative model in Europe. Organised by Cooperatives Europe, the Cooperative Leadership Forum gathered cooperative leaders from across Europe for a high-level, invitation-only exchange. The following day, the European Commission organised a High-Level Conference on the Social Economy, co-hosted with Cooperatives Europe, CECOP, and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). 

The two events reinforced cooperatives' central role in building a resilient, inclusive and forward-looking European economy — both from the ground up and at the policy table.

Interview: Sasha Gabizon, Executive Director of Women Engage for a Common Future 

Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF International) works in policy advocacy and provides practical support for gender-just and sustainable cooperatives in 70 countries. We speak with its Executive Director, Sasha Gabizon, about how she sees the cooperative model benefiting women in different sectors, improving rights and access to finance, and ultimately supporting and accelerating SDG5.

Women’s co-ops around the world

While SDG5 focuses on gender equality, how are cooperatives in different regions empowering women and working towards making this a reality? From argan co-ops in Morocco and artisans in India to agents of ecological change in Uruguay and textile upcycling in India, here are four women’s co-ops accelerating action for themselves, their communities and the planet.

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Co-op Women’s Voices

What do women’s cooperative journeys look like? Who inspires them? And what advice would they give to other women in the co-op movement? These are just some of the questions asked in the Co-op Women’s Voices webinars hosted jointly by Co-op News and the UK’s Co-operative College each month. With guests ranging from leaders of national apexes and business leaders to academics and practitioners, the project has spoken with over 30 women from co-ops around the world, creating an audio-visual archive of women’s cooperative experiences.

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