International Cooperative Alliance

📊 Which place in Panama are you most excited to see or visit during #ICAPanama2026? 📍 Panama Convention Centre (venue/origin point) 🌉 Bridge of the Americas (Mirador de las Américas) (8 min. drive) 🏘️ Casco Antiguo (El Casco/Old Town) (11 min. drive) 🚢 Panama Canal (Miraflores Visitor Centre) (20 min. drive) Vote below tell us what else is on your Panama list in the comments. We’re also pleased to acknowledge the support of #VisitPanama and PROMTUR PANAMA for #ICAPanama2026, helping delegates discover more of the country beyond the conference. Check them out at tourismpanama.com Explore the programme and register at icapanama2026.coop. #VisitPanama #BuildingBridges #ConstruyendoPuentes #Coops4Peace

We've reached 15,000 followers on LinkedIn! Whether you've been with us for years or only recently joined, thank you for helping grow a space for conversations about cooperation around the world. You'll also find us sharing stories, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments across our other social media channels. We hope to see you there, too: 💙 Facebook: facebook.com/ICAcoops 📸 Instagram: icacoops 𝕏 : icacoop 🦋 Bluesky: icacoop 🎵 TikTok: icacoops ▶️ Youtube: internationalcooperativeal885 Wherever you follow us, thanks for being part of the conversation. 🌍🤝

Every strategy has priorities. But strategies only become real when people bring them to life. This month's ICA Members' Chat focused on People as a strategic intervention in the ICA Strategy 2026–2030: Practice, Promote, and Protect. Across the discussion, speakers reflected on what it means to invest in people—from leadership and youth participation to gender equality, partnerships, and preserving our shared cooperative heritage. Swipe through some of the ideas, reflections, and challenges shared by: • ICA Director-General Jeroen Douglas • Gretchen Hacquard (ICA Director of Membership) • Ingrid Colanero (ICA Head of Development Cooperation) • Marc Noel (ICA Director of Partnerships) • Xiomara Nuñez de Cespedes (ICA Gender Equality Committee Chair) • Rose Karimi Kiwanuka (International Cooperative Alliance - Africa Regional Director) • Monalisa . (Program Coordination & Policy Advocacy Officer at International Cooperative Alliance - Asia and Pacific) • Paco Núñez Tamarit (Communications Officer) • Harsh Sanghani (ICA Youth Committee President) #PracticePromoteProtect

📊 Co-op Pop Quiz! What are you most excited about at #ICAPanama2026? Cast your vote below. If you're curious about what's on the programme, you can explore the latest speaker announcements and conference details at icapanama2026.coop. #BuildingBridges #ConstruyendoPuentes #Coops4Peace

Some of the most important conversations in the cooperative movement don't happen on stage. They happen between sessions, over coffee, during workshops, and between people who would never have met otherwise. Those conversations are just as much a part of the ICA Global Conference & General Assemblies as the keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops. From exploring how cooperatives contribute to peace to shaping the cooperative movement's future priorities, here's what you can expect in Panama this September. If Panama is on your calendar, or you're still deciding, we hope this helps. 📝 Register: icapanama2026.coop #BuildingBridges #ConstruyendoPuentes #Coops4Peace Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo (IPACOOP) | Cooperativas de las Américas | Cooperatives Europe | International Cooperative Alliance - Asia and Pacific | International Cooperative Alliance - Africa | Co-op News

What happens after a crisis? For cooperatives, recovery is about more than rebuilding infrastructure. It's about rebuilding communities, livelihoods, and trust. That's the idea behind the Fund for International Cooperative Development, a multistakeholder cooperative initiative created to support cooperatives affected by natural disasters, conflict, and other crises through cooperative-to-cooperative solidarity. Unlike a traditional grant-making organisation, the Fund is governed by its members, who collectively decide how resources are invested to strengthen the global cooperative movement. 📖 Read the full story and learn how the Fund is helping build peace through cooperation. Link to the story in the comments. You'll also hear more from Dr Sarah Alldred, who leads the Fund's day-to-day work, as one of the workshop speakers at #ICAPanama2026 this September. 🌍 Register here: icapanama2026.coop More info about the Fund here: fund.coop #BuildingBridges #Coops4Peace #ConstruyendoPuentes

🎤 First confirmed speakers announced Ideas shape movements, and this September, many of the conversations shaping the future of cooperation will take place in Panama. The first confirmed speakers for #ICAPanama2026 represent cooperatives, international organisations, governments, academia, and civil society. Together, they'll explore practical solutions for strengthening cooperatives, advancing peace, and implementing the ICA's Practice, Promote, Protect strategy. Participants won't just hear from experts. They'll also contribute to workshops whose discussions will help inform the conference's final declaration. Expect inspiring keynotes, engaging panel discussions, and interactive workshops exploring this year's theme: Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World 📖 Meet the first speakers and explore the programme. More speaker announcements to come! 🌍 Register at icapanama2026.coop #BuildingBridges #ConstruyendoPuentes #Coops4Peace

The world is changing quickly. The cooperative movement has endured by adapting without losing sight of its purpose. What does that look like in practice? In a conversation with Belden Menkus on The Purposeful Strategist podcast, ICA Director-General Jeroen Douglas reflects on some of the biggest questions facing the cooperative movement today, from resilience and democracy to technology, capital, and the importance of local communities. Along the way, he shares why the ICA developed its Practice, Promote, Protect strategy through the movement itself, why a cooperative cloud matters, and why he believes communities are where purpose becomes real. 🎧 If you're looking for a thoughtful listen this weekend, this is a great place to start: https://lnkd.in/evHHmbXw

How was #IYC2025 for you? The ICA is inviting cooperators worldwide to complete the IYC2025 Impact Assessment Survey. Your feedback will help us assess the impact of the International Year and identify some of the key lessons that you, your sectors, regions and communities learned over the 12 months. The responses to the survey will also assist in shaping priorities for the cooperative movement leading up to the next United Nations International Year of Cooperatives in 2035. 📝 The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and is open until 30 July. 👉 Take the survey and share it with your cooperative network: https://lnkd.in/gFSS_r85 Visit here for more details: https://lnkd.in/gYQy7-cg This year's survey is an opportunity to look back on #IYC2025 before the global cooperative movement looks ahead together at #ICAPanama2026. #IYC2025 #CooperativesBuildABetterWorld #BuildingBridges #ConstruyendoPuentes

Why the coop movement is coming to Panama As preparations continue for #ICAPanama2026, we spoke with the Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo (IPACOOP), the organisation co-hosting this September's ICA Global Conference and General Assemblies. From a cooperative sector representing more than 615 cooperatives and 256,000 members, to a vision of Panama as a country that promotes dialogue, inclusion, and cooperation, the interview explores why the country is a fitting host for this year's theme: 🌉 Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World Explore how Panama's cooperative movement is supporting innovation, rural development, youth, women's entrepreneurship, and international cooperation and why bringing the global cooperative movement together matters for the country and beyond. 📖 Link to the full interview in the comments. 🌍 #ICAPanama2026 | 13–18 September 2026 | icapanama2026.coop Photo: Danilo Salerno (Regional Director, Cooperativas de las Américas) and Magíster Erika Vargas de González (Executive Director, Instituto Panameño Autónomo Cooperativo (IPACOOP).