What: World Cooperative Congress 2020

When: 01–03 March, 2021

Where: Seoul, Republic of Korea

The World Cooperative Congress (WCC) is a large gathering of members of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) as well as cooperators in general. WCCs are historical moments for the movement. This Congress is particularly special because the ICA is celebrating its 125th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Statement on the Cooperative Identity (SCI).

With the theme, ‘Deepening our Cooperative Identity’, the event will provide an opportunity to celebrate and deepen the understanding of the cooperative identity. It can thus constitute both a point of arrival, by taking stock of 25 years of development of the cooperative identity, and a point of departure, by launching a debate ushering in a deeper and more multi-faceted understanding of the role which cooperative identity plays in setting the cooperative model.

WCC are convened only on very special occasions, like for the approval of the SCI (31st Congress, 1995, Manchester) or the UN International Year of Cooperatives (32nd Congress, 2012, Manchester). With an expected attendance of about 2,000 participants, this 33rd Congress will be the second Congress to be held outside Europe, an opportunity to reaffirm the fact that the cooperative identity is truly universal.

The event will feature discussions on an array of themes that are linked to the cooperative identity and will be useful both for cooperatives’ positioning at the national and international level, at a time when the recognition of specificities is increasingly difficult, and for cooperatives to learn how to better use the cooperative identity to do business and increase their business sales in a context of global competition. For this occasion, a number of high-quality papers and studies will be prepared and presented.

To apply and for more information, click here.

Photo source: One Young World