The count down to the 2020 World Cooperative Congress (WCC) officially began with a launch event in Seoul on February 11 in the presence of ICA Task Force members, ICA member cooperatives in Korea, officials from national and local governments and several civil society organizations.
The 33rd WCC will be held from December 11 to 17 in Seoul around the theme ‘Deepening our Cooperative Identity.’ The Congress will be an opportunity to celebrate ICA’s 125thAnniversary and the 25th Anniversary of the adoption of the Statement of Cooperative Identity. The previous two Congresses celebrated the approval of the Statement on the Cooperative Identity (31st Congress, 1995, Manchester) and the UN International Year of Cooperatives (32nd Congress, 2012, Manchester). This is the second time the Cooperative Congress is being held in Asia.
Speaking at the launch event, Martin Lowery, the Chair of the Congress Task Force stressed the importance of cooperative values and how they form the “essence of the cooperative difference.” He shared the three main thematic pillars of the Congress: Deeping our Cooperative Identity; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Cooperatives’ Global Responsibility in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Prior to the Congress, there will be the International Cooperative Research Conference (10-12 December) and an International Cooperative Law Forum (12-13 December) to discuss themes related to the Congress. The Congress will officially start with an opening on December 13 and end with the General Assembly on December 16.
The Asia-Pacific region will hold the 14th Regional Assembly, Regional Board Meeting and Committee meetings during the Congress. The ICA regional committee meetings and Regional Board meeting will be held on October 12 and the Regional Assembly on October 13. During the Assembly, elections will be held to elect the new Board for the period 2020 to 2024.
We request members to block the dates, visit www.ica.coop and watch this space for more information.
