Registration is now open for the Co-operatives for Development Global Conference to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, on 14-17 October 2019.
The conference will share co-operatives’ experiences in the field of sustainable development – and celebrate the vital contribution co-ops in different sectors and regions are making to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Alongside co-operators from around the world, the four-day event will bring together other civil society actors, development agencies, policy makers, institutional partners, government officials, representatives from international and regional organisations, researchers, and all those concerned by developmental issues.
The global event is being organised by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) under the auspices of the government of the Republic of Rwanda and with the support of the co-operative movement of Rwanda.
The themes that will be explored over the four days include: female empowerment; preservation of the environment; eradication of hunger and poverty; decent work; ethical value chains; affordable housing; and equality and peace.
Delegates will be welcomed to the conference by Ariel Guarco, president of the ICA, and Hon Soraya Hakuziyaremeye, minister of Trade & Industry of the Republic of Rwanda.
Environmental activist Dr Vandana Shiva will be one of the keynote speakers at the conference where she will talk about how co-ops can help to achieve a more solidarity-based and participatory society. Delegates will also hear from president Paul Kagame, Japheth Magomere (ICA-Africa president) and Augustin Katabarwa, (president of the National Cooperative Confederation of Rwanda), among others.
Related: Vandana Shiva to headline ICA Global Conference in Kigali
The ICA General Assembly (for ICA members only) takes place on Thursday afternoon, with the conference ending that evening with a gala dinner where the Rochdale Pioneer Awards winners will be announced. The accolade recognises, in the spirit of the contribution of the Rochdale Pioneers, an individual or organisation who has contributed to innovative and financially sustainable co-operative activities that have significantly benefited co-operative members.
- More information and the provisional programme is available online at kigali2019.coop. Registration for the event is open at register.kigali2019.coop.
