On 28 April, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) for holding the ICA Global Cooperative Conference 2024 and General Assembly, as well as for the launch of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025, in New Delhi, India.
The signatories of the MoU were IFFCO Managing Director Dr. U S Awasthi and ICA Director-General Jeroen Douglas. The MoU was signed in Jordan where the 11th Asia and Pacific Ministers' Conference is being held. Present at the occasion were ICA President Ariel Guarco, ICA Asia and Pacific President Dr. Chandra Pal Singh Yadav, NCDC Managing Director Pankaj Bansal, H.E. Dr. Mohammad Thneibat Chairman of Jordan Phosphate Mines Co (JPMC), President of the International Co-operative Banking Association (ICBA) Bhima Subrahmanyam, Dy. CEO of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) Savitri Singh, and a host of officials drawn from both the cooperative sector and the government side.
Cooperators worldwide will be hosted by the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) and the 18 ICA member organizations in India representing close to 800,000 cooperatives and 290 million cooperators.
“I’m thrilled to sign with IFFCO, and through them the largest farming community and cooperative movement in the world, this important MoU. It seals our longstanding partnership in a formidable way, by bringing the ICA Global Conference for the first time to India”, Douglas said.
Dr. Awasthi tweeted, “A Memorandum of Understanding is signed between Mr. Jeroen Douglas, Director-General ICA to hold ICA General Assembly, ICA Global Cooperative Conference 2024, and to Launch United Nations UN International Year of Cooperatives 2025 at New Delhi, India. A moment of pride for India as it’s the first time when ICA is holding its General Assembly in India”.
The theme of the conference is Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All aims to convey the people-centered, purpose-led, and shared progress-driven institutions that cooperatives are. The ICA is grateful for IFFCO hosting cooperatives worldwide in the historic city of Delhi, which also hosts our regional Asian Pacific office. IFFCO serves 50 million farmers through 36,000 farmer cooperatives and has been a member of the ICA since 1980.
Before the signing of the MoU, an ICA team had prepared the ground by visiting India and meeting people both from the cooperative sector and government officials.
In India, cooperatives have been an effective way for people to exercise control over their economic livelihoods. The Indian cooperative movement has the formidable distinction of covering almost 98% of rural India. Cooperatives provide a unique tool for achieving economic and social goals in an increasingly competitive global economy.
“The time has arrived to have the ICA Global Conference hit Indian soil! We invite you to join in participating and owing what will be your conference”, concluded Douglas.
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