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International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)
Context:
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) General Assembly and the Global Cooperative Conference 2024 will take place from November 25th to 30th, 2024, at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
More on news
- For the first time in the 130-year history of the ICA, India will host both the General Assembly and the Global Cooperative Conference, a major event in the global cooperative movement.
- The theme of the conference, “Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All,” aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ (Prosperity through Cooperation).
- This theme highlights the cooperative model’s key role in tackling global challenges and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
- The event will also mark the launch of the UN International Year of Cooperatives 2025, with a commemorative stamp unveiling.
International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)
It is a non-governmental cooperative organisation founded in 1895 to unite, represent and serve cooperatives worldwide. The ICA represents 315 co-operative federations and organisations in 107 countries.
Structure of the ICA
- The ICA consists of a 20-member governing board, a General Assembly, four regions (one each for Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Americas), eight sectoral organisations and five thematic committees.
General Assembly:
- It is the highest authority of the ICA, constituted of representatives from its member organisations. It is convened at least once a year with a possible extraordinary assembly being held if certain conditions are met.
ICA Regional Organisations:
- ICA Asia-Pacific – based in New Delhi, India
- ICA Africa – based in Nairobi, Kenya
- Cooperatives Europe – based in Brussels, Belgium
- ICA Americas – based in San José, Costa Rica
Sectoral Organisations:
- The ICA has eight sectoral organisations covering different areas like agriculture, consumer, fisheries, health, housing, insurance, industry and services.
Thematic Committees:
- The ICA has five thematic committees, including the Committee on Cooperative Research which aims to raise awareness of cooperative research and facilitate the exchange of knowledge between academics and cooperators.
- The ICA participates in high-level discussions at the United Nations and has partnership agreements with various UN agencies. It also represents the cooperative movement in the G20 Engagement Groups.