“We are here to set out new objectives,” International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) president Ariel Guarco told the organisation’s General Assembly, held in Manchester on 2 July.
Over 400 ICA delegates attended the event at Manchester Town Hall, and adopted a new long-term strategy to guide the global co-operative movement.
Welcoming delegates, the lord mayor of Manchester, Cllr Carmine Grimshaw, said: “Co-ops help build a better world and it’s a real privilege to host leaders of movement that bow serves 1.2 billion people globally.”
“Manchester is intertwined with the co-op movement,” added Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK.
The GA began its business by confirming the mandate of the at-large director appointed by the ICA board by co-option, Macloud Malonza, who will complete the mandate of previous director. Giuseppe Guerini was also announced as a new board director representing Europe.
After updates from Guarco, delegates heard reports on the ICA’s activities around governance and membership, communications, fundraising, HR and finances, and cross-cutting themes. They also approved the ICA’s annual accounts for 2024.
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The ICA reported a net profit of €249,658 for 2024, which audit risk committee chair Shaun Tarbuck attributed to the success of the ICA Global Conference in India, a restructuring of the ICA and securing the second partnership for co-operative development with the European Commission.
A big issue on the agenda was the new ICA strategy, which is based on the theory of change, and envisions the ICA as a change agent.
Introducing the strategy, which will guide the organisation for the period 2026-2030, ICA director general Jeroen Douglas called for “one movement with one strategy and one brand experience”.
“Everything we do starts with our Statement on the Cooperative Identity,” he said.
The new strategy is not a business plan, but movement-wide strategy, designed to unite the movement, Douglas added. It will act as blueprint over the next six months and be translated into an operational plan.
Regional and sectoral organisations and thematic committees offered feedback on the strategy over the past six months.
Key initiatives that will be undertaken through the strategy are championing the co-operative advantage, developing and creating co-operatives, prioritising women and youth in co-operative leadership and service, deepening co-operative research and enabling training and education, transforming co-operative knowledge into data power through co-op tech platforms, stepping up co-operative advocacy, driving co-operative sustainability and funding co-operative growth.
“It’s a bold strategy but we’re one billion members so we need to be bold and self-confident,” said Douglas.
The GA also approved and adopted a new coordinated text of the Articles of Association, which entered into force immediately after the meeting.
Introducing the changes, board member Alexandra Wilson said they were designed to offer greater transparency with regard to staff performance and promote inclusion within the ICA’s leadership of women and youth.
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Under the new rules, changes to Articles 37 (regional presidents), 38 (regional directors) and 47 (powers of the director general) are introduced to “more clearly assign accountability for the planning and evaluation of performance of staff at all levels within the ICA”.
The amended rules give the ICA president the power to promote the participation of women and young co-operators within the leadership of the ICA.
Wilson pointed out that out of the ICA’s 29-person board, only six are women. Of these seats, 15 are designated by sectors or regions of the ICA – and they will have to appoint more women if the board is to achieve gender parity, she said.
Some members expressed concerns over the new role assigned to the ICA director general to work with regional presidents, setting performance objectives for regional directors and periodically evaluating their performance. Some delegates argued this should fall within the regional president’s responsibilities only.
Members also raised concerns over the translation of the ICA’s Articles of Association. Responding to members’ questions, Wilson asked for volunteers within the ICA membership to help ensure the English, French and Spanish versions of the Articles are fully aligned.
The GA also discussed a recent development in Ecuador, where a change in legislation could endanger the existence of co-operatives in the country.
ICA Americas president, Dr José Alves de Souza Neto, expressed worries over these developments, adding they could set a dangerous precedent for the whole region. He said ACI Americas would continue to lobby for favourable co-operative laws and raise this issue at the next United Nations event.
The GA was due to have a conversation on the ICA membership fees, but this was postponed due to a lack of consensus on a new formula to present to members. During the GA, Wilson explained that while the formula for calculating fees will stay the same, the data used in the formula would change and would include data from apexes as well as from the World Bank.
The GA came to a close after a standing ovation to the memory of the Rochdale Pioneers.
The next GA will take place in September 2026 in Panama and coincide with the ICA Americas’ Regional Assembly.
“It is an important hub distribution for the region and we would love to receive you in our region,” said de Souza Neto.
