Panama will host the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Cooperatives of the Americas General Assemblies along with the joint Global Conference in September, bringing cooperative leaders and practitioners from across the world together under the theme “Building bridges: cooperative contributions for a peaceful world”.
The main conference will be held on September 16 and 17, featuring high-level addresses, keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops. Sessions will examine the cooperative movement’s role in promoting peaceful multilateralism and its future global impact, while workshops will focus on the ICA 2026–2030 Strategy built around three pillars, Practice, Promote and Protect.
Panama President José Raul Mulino Quintero, IPACOOP Executive Director Erika Vargas and Cooperatives of the Americas President José Alves de Souza Neto are among those welcoming delegates. Speakers include representatives of the African Union Commission, Aspen Institute, UN Women and cooperative organisations from Asia and other regions.
India’s Harsh Sanghani, President of the ICA Youth Committee, will participate in the strategy-focused workshops. Discussions will contribute to a final declaration addressing sustainable cooperative economies, democratic global governance and protection of cooperative identity and values.
