Registrations for ICA’s Global Conference are now open

The ‘Cooperatives for Development' Global Conference registrations are now open. From the 14 to 17 October 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda, the event will address themes related to women empowerment, preservation of the environment, eradication of hunger and poverty, decent work, ethical value chains, affordable housing and equality and peace, among others.

Vandana Shiva, the well-known Indian environmental activist and one of the leaders of the International Forum on Globalization, will give THE much-anticipated keynote speech on how ‘Cooperatives help to achieve a more solidarity-based and participatory society’, during the first Plenary Session on 14 October.

The second day of the Conference, 15 October, will be dedicated to sessions organized within the International Cooperative Alliance’s (ICA) partnership with the European Union (EU), #Coops4Dev? . Topics such as tackling inequalities, women empowerment, ethical value chains and innovation in entrepreneurship, will constitute parallel sessions on the overall theme of ‘Cooperatives as Key Actors to Achieve the 2030 Agenda’.

Likewise, under the ICA-EU partnership, a documentary on cooperatives, realized by Andrea Mancori and Sara Vicari throughout the Aroundtheworld.coop association, will be showcased as part of the second plenary session.

The sessions on third day, 16 October, will include sustainable development and decent work, value chains in development, and parallel sessions on food security and production, fostering health and education, reducing poverty, affordable housing and sustainable energy.

On 17 October, the final day of the Conference, Cooperatives’ contributions to equality, peace and sustainability will be the focus of the discussion.

Special guests for the event include Paul Kagame, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Rwanda; Soraya Hakuziyaremeye, Honorable Minister of Trade and Industryof Rwanda; Mr. Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development; Ms. Cynthia Samuel-Olonjuwon, ILO Regional Director for Africa; Mr. Japheth Magomere, President of ICA-Africa, and Mr. Augustin Katabarwa, President of the National Cooperative Confederation of Rwanda.

ICA’s Global Conference is organized every two years and is an opportunity for cooperatives and development actors to meet and exchange on a wide range of pressing global issues. Register and find out more about this event here. 

Use #coopconference19 #coops4dev? to promote this event on social media.