Working Women’s Forum (India) and the Indian Cooperative Network for Women (WWF–ICNW) will host a virtual parallel event on women’s cooperative leadership and capacity building during the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW70) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The two-hour event, titled “From the Margins to the Mainstream: Women’s Economic Empowerment through Cooperatives,” will be held on March 16, 2026, from 8:30–10:30 a.m. EST (6:00–8:00 p.m. IST). The session will be organised virtually from WWF–ICNW’s headquarters in Chennai.
WWF–ICNW said the event marks the fifth time the organisation has been awarded a parallel event during its 30 years of consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Key speakers are expected to include Andrea Porro, Andreas Kappes and Nandini Azad, along with representatives from global institutions, academia and cooperative organisations.
The programme will feature discussions on strengthening women’s leadership in cooperatives, grassroots testimonies from women leaders in Indian states and the announcement of the WWF–ICNW Jaya Arunachalam Awards. Participants from cooperatives, civil society and governments across regions are expected to join the virtual event.