Webinar: Cooperative Legal Framework Analysis (LFA) Unpacked - Law4Coops

Wednesday, 25 February 2026 | 14:00–15:30 CET 

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Global Office, ICA Africa, Cooperativas de las Américas, ICA Asia and Pacific and Cooperatives Europe will host a webinar to officially launch the second phase of the Legal Framework Analysis (LFA) for Cooperatives, a harmonised research and analysis initiative examining the state of cooperative legislation worldwide. The LFA is implemented across all ICA Regions as part of an activity co-funded under the ICA–EU Partnership #coops4dev🌍. 

Register here to receive the Zoom webinar link. Interpretation will be provided in English, Spanish and French. 

Why an LFA? 

As custodian of cooperative values and principles, the ICA has long recognised that law is a decisive condition for cooperative development. Legal frameworks determine whether cooperatives can form, operate, scale, federate and endure as authentic member-owned enterprises, or whether their identity and potential are constrained by inadequate legislation. 

Building on the results of the first phase of the LFA (2016-2021), which produced 79 national reports and 4 regional reports, the second phase further strengthens and systematises the mapping and analysis of cooperative legal environments across regions, identifying strengths, gaps and reform needs. This webinar marks the public launch of this new phase as a coordinated, regionally implemented activity of the ICA, providing a shared platform for ICA members, lawmakers, policy professionals, civil society partners and private sector actors to engage with its first global findings. 

Webinar content 

The session will explore the relationship between cooperative law and the ICA’s mandate to safeguard cooperative identity, examining how cooperative values and principles are translated into enforceable legal provisions on democratic governance, member economic participation, autonomy, education, inter-cooperation and concern for community. 

A central part of the webinar will be a moderated exchange with ICA Regional officers leading the implementation of the LFA, followed by regional reflections from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific, highlighting key trends, challenges and noteworthy national experiences. The session will also provide a methodological overview, including the new elements introduced in this second phase and the strategies adopted by ICA Regions to ensure effective and context-sensitive implementation. The webinar will also include perspectives from the European Commission through the ICA–EU partnership. 

This webinar also serves as a call to collaboration, inviting legal scholars, practitioners, institutions and cooperative organisations to contribute to the LFA as a living and evolving body of knowledge on cooperative legal frameworks worldwide.

This activity is part of the ICA–EU Partnership (2024–2028), also called #coops4dev🌍, a five-year international cooperative development program -implemented by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Global Office, International Cooperative Alliance - Africa, Cooperativas de las Américas, International Cooperative Alliance - Asia and Pacific, and Cooperatives Europe, and co-funded by the European Union-, that aims to strengthen the ICA network and position cooperatives as international development actors within the EU Development Agenda.

For more information, please download the concept note below.