At the start of April, Seville, Spain, hosted the VI World Forum on Local Economic Development (WFLED), bringing together over 2,500 actors from over 100 countries, including representatives from governments, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector. It focused on local solutions to global challenges, including just transitions, financing for development, and building inclusive, resilient local economies.
Hosted 14 years after the first Forum, the event aimed to renew and strengthen the process of promoting, at a global level, territorial policies for local economic development within the framework of multi-stakeholder and multi-level alliances. It specifically recognised the positive impact of cooperatives in building sustainable, inclusive and resilient local economies, in line with IYC2025 theme, "Cooperatives build a better world".
Cooperatives Europe, a regional organisation of the ICA, participated in two sessions, including the opening panel looking at international experiences on local circular economy initiatives. Marcelina Zjawińska, Vice-President of the Young European Cooperators Network (YECN) and founder of the Splot Społeczny Foundation, highlighted the role of cooperatives as people-centred drivers of circular innovation, job creation, and sustainable development, along with the CCR Europe Young Scholars.
The organisation also hosted an interactive workshop, co-organised with members of the Cooperatives Europe Development Platform (CEDP) on the first afternoon, looking at community-led localisation of the UN Agenda 2030 – evidence from #coops4dev.
Annalisa Vallone, International Development Coordinator, Cooperatives Europe; Gabriele Verginelli, International Relations Officer, Legacoop; Anna Tibblin, Secretary General, WeEffect; and Julie Hval, Senior Advisor, Norges Vel told how cooperatives help deliver the SDGs through locally rooted, international development work, shared practical examples from across continents, and led discussions with participants on the unique strengths of the cooperative model.
The Forum closed by adopting the VI WFLED Declaration, which recognised the positive impact of cooperatives in economic development and highlighted the need to urgently address challenges.
