ICA elects new Board; IFFCO’s Aditya elected with huge margin

A new Board of Directors of International Cooperative Alliance has also been elected. Twenty-two candidates were standing for 15 seats on the Board. Aditya Yadav from IFFCO (India) was also elected polling second largest number of votes.

Congratulations began pouring in for Aditya Yadav who has made it the second time at the global co-op body. Son of Uttar Pradesh strongman Shivpal Singh Yadav, Aditya has been active in co-op for many years, last being an IFFCO Board member and PCF Chairman.

Talking to Indian Cooperative, an excited Yadav thanked one and all and promised to share the details of his vote percentage sooner than later.

Earlier, the members of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) have renewed the mandate of Ariel Guarco for the next four years. From a total of 769 total votes, Mr Guarco has been re-elected President of the ICA with 445 of the votes, as reported earlier in these columns.

Soon after his victory, Ariel Guarco said: “I am humbled to be re-elected president of the ICA. In these four years I have done my best to meet the commitments of my mandate and I will offer once again my commitment, my dedication and my enthusiasm to move forward in a new chapter where we can crystallize new achievements.”

“Two other candidates were standing for ICA President: Melina Morrison, who obtained 164 votes, nominated by Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, Australia, and Jean-Louis Bancel, who obtained 160 votes, nominated by Coop FR, France”, confirms ICA newscoop.

ICA new Board members who have tenure of 2022-26 are as following

• Márcio Lopes de Freitas, Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB), Brazil
• Aditya Yadav, Indian Farm Forestry Development Cooperative Limited (IFFDC), India
• Giuseppe Attilio Dadda, Alleanza Cooperative Italiane, Italy
• George Magutu Mwangi, Kenya Union of Savings & Credit Cooperatives (KUSCCO), Kenya
• Iñigo Albizuri Landazabal, Confederación Española de Cooperativas de Trabajo Asociado (COCETA), Spain
• Zhenhong Cai, All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives (ACFSMC), China
• Martin Lowery, National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA), USA
• Toru Nakaya, JA Zenchu (Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives), Japan
• Bahman Abdollahi, Iran Chamber of Cooperatives (ICC), Iran
• María Eugenia Pérez Zea, Asociación Colombiana de Cooperativa (Ascoop), Colombia
• Krasimir Ignatov, Central Cooperative Union Bulgaria, Bulgaria
• Dato’ Kamarudin Ismail, Malaysian National Cooperative Movement, Malaysia
• Simona Cavazzutti, Confederación de Cooperativas Rurales del Paraguay (CONCOPAR), Paraguay
• Marjaana Saarikoski, SOK Corporation, Finland
• Alexandra Wilson, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, Canada

Four ICA sectoral organisations representatives were nominated by their respective constituents and formally elected by the General Assembly. They are Dr. Carlos Zarco from the International Health Cooperative Organisation (IHCO), Blase Lambert from Cooperative Housing International (CHI), Sung-hee Lee from the International Cooperative Agricultural Organisation (ICAO) and Shaun Tarbuck from International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF).

The youth representative – Ana Aguirre, from Spain, and gender equality chair- Xiomara Nuñez de Cespedes from the Dominican Republic were also formally elected. Three Vice Presidents who were recently elected by their Regional Assemblies were ratified by the ICA General Assembly. They are High Chief Oriyomi Ayeola from ICA Africa, Chandrapal Singh Yadav from ICA-Asia Pacific, and Susanne Westhausen from Cooperatives Europe.

Around 400 cooperative leaders from 60 countries gathered in Seville, for the General Assembly. The General Assembly also included a speech from the President of COOPUkraine, an ICA member from Ukraine, who offered a speech to the audience sharing the situation of the cooperative movement in the country and calling for support.

(with input from CoopNews)