FAO signs agreement with the International Cooperative Alliance to strengthen joint cooperation

The Regional Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for Latin America and the Caribbean signed an agreement with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) to promote joint efforts supporting regional cooperatives. FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, Mario Lubetkin, and ICA Americas Regional Director Danilo Salerno signed the agreement.

The Memorandum of Understanding outlines five priority areas of action, including mobilizing resources to strengthen the cooperative model in the region, promoting the adoption of the Model Law on Agri-food Cooperatives by the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino), expanding knowledge on cooperatives in the region, encouraging cooperation among cooperatives, and promoting innovative associative models.

According to FAO figures, there are currently 28,000 cooperatives in Latin America and the Caribbean, encompassing six million people, fostering entrepreneurship, economic empowerment, and promoting sustainable and inclusive development.

During the event, Lubetkin stated, “This collaboration is essential to place the cooperative model in a more prominent position on the region’s development agenda,” adding, “This International Year represents a unique opportunity to promote the cooperative model, one based on principles of partnership, inclusion, and democracy, directly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.”

José Alves de Souza Neto, President of Cooperatives of the Americas, the Regional Division of the International Cooperative Alliance, highlighted FAO’s interest in renewing support for cooperative networks in the region and the shared commitment to building a better world. “Food security is a priority for the cooperatives of the Americas. With family farming, agro-industrial, and consumer cooperatives established, significant progress is being made in the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the Americas,” he stated.

Danilo Salerno, ICA Americas Regional Director, emphasized that the partnership with FAO is based on trust, respect, and effective collaboration. “We have been able to collaborate through a platform offering virtual courses, technical assistance, and training areas. We hope this renewal will help us advance mapping studies on regional cooperatives.”

The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives under the slogan “Cooperatives Build a Better World,” aiming to reaffirm the sector’s contribution to a better future for people.

The event included the installation session of the Regional Committee of the Allied parties for coordinating, promoting, and celebrating the International Year of Cooperatives 2025. This coordination body was created to highlight the importance of the year and undertake actions around it. It brings together various United Nations agencies, governmental and international cooperation institutions, and representatives from the cooperative sector who will work to ensure that governments facilitate an enabling environment for cooperatives and promote awareness of the importance of these associations.