17/09/2026
As the ICA Conference in Panama comes to a close, we were proud to conclude these two enriching days with our side event co-organised with CICOPA Americas "Building the Care Economy Together: Cooperative Solutions for Decent Work and Inclusion. A Focus on the Americas."
Bringing together representatives from the Americas and other regions of the world, the session explored the challenges, opportunities, and promising practices of care cooperatives, highlighting their contribution to quality care, decent work, gender equality, and social inclusion.
Diana Dovgan, Secretary General of CICOPA, opened the session with a global overview of the growing role of cooperatives in addressing care needs while creating decent jobs, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges facing the care sector worldwide.
Drawing on experiences from across the Americas:
· Cristian Horton, President of Fecootra and CICOPA Americas, shared the experience of care cooperatives in Argentina and their contribution to the professionalisation of care services and care work.
· Daniella Preisler, President of CICOPA North America, highlighted how home care cooperatives in the United States are improving job quality while expanding opportunities for worker ownership.
· Michael Toye, Executive Director of Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada presented the diversity of cooperative care services in Canada and underscored the importance of supportive public policies to enable their development and impact.
Looking beyond the Americas:
· Rose Karimi Kiwanuka Karimi (ICA Africa) highlighted the potential of cooperatives to formalise care work and support caregivers
· Monalisa Kashyap presented the work ICA Asia-Pacific is implementing to better understand cooperatives in the sector
· Osamu Nakano (JWCU) brought the Japanese perspective underlining the importance of legal recognition for worker cooperatives providing care
· Luis Miguel Jurado (Coceta) shared the Spanish experience underlining the importance of adequate p***c policies;
· Aicha E. (ODCO) presented recent cooperative developments in Morocco's care economy.
A sincere thank you to all our members, speakers, and participants for sharing their knowledge, experiences, and vision.
These discussions confirmed that, across very different national contexts, care cooperatives are helping to tackle common challenges: improving access to care, creating decent jobs, supporting women's economic empowerment, and building more inclusive communities.
We look forward to continuing this conversation and working together to strengthen care cooperatives around the world.
Over these two days in Panama, reconnecting with our members from across the Americas and engaging with the wider cooperative movement has once again reminded us of the strength of our global network and inspired us to do even more together. 🤝🌎
