Last week, the five offices leading the implementation of the #coops4dev🌍 programme: ICA Africa, Cooperativas de las Américas, ICA Asia and Pacific, Cooperatives Europe, and the ICA Global Office held the Annual Review Meeting (ARM). The meeting took place in a hybrid format, with participants joining from Rome and online, allowing colleagues from Asia-Pacific to take part despite being unable to travel due to the current situation in West Asia and related travel constraints.
The meeting provided a key opportunity to assess the progress made over the past two years, exchange knowledge across regions, and strengthen cross-regional collaboration. It also served as a space to align on priorities and set objectives for the year ahead.
#coops4dev🌍 is the name given to the ICA–EU Partnership (2024-2028), a five-year international cooperative development programme co-funded by the European Union, aimed at strengthening cooperatives as people-centred businesses for sustainable, democratic, and inclusive development. The programme also aims to reinforce the ICA network and position cooperatives as key actors within the EU’s development agenda.
The meeting was kindly hosted at the premises of Legacoop, the oldest Italian cooperative organisation, whose support created a welcoming and productive environment for discussions and exchange.
Participants also benefited from a conversation with Danilo Salerno, director at Cooperativas de las Américas, who shared insights and reflections on the project and the cooperative movement across regions.
Beyond the meeting room, the programme included field visits to experience the cooperative model in practice. Participants visited the Case Romane del Celio, guided by CoopCulture, a cooperative specialised in promoting cultural heritage and fostering regional networks.
The group also visited Cooperativa Sociale Meta, a long-standing non-profit cooperative active in socio-educational services, social inclusion, and community wellbeing. This included a visit to one of its flagship initiatives, the Centro Interculturale Scholé, an intercultural youth centre supporting participation and integration.
The meeting in Rome not only reinforced collaboration across regions but also offered a valuable opportunity to connect with local cooperative experiences. Participants return with stronger ties, renewed energy, and a shared commitment to putting insights into practice and advancing the actions agreed for the year ahead.
