ICA Gender Equality Committee elects leadership for 2026–2030 term
BRUSSELS, July 29, 2026 — The International Cooperative Alliance’s [ICA] Gender Equality Committee [GEC] has renewed its leadership for the 2026–2030 term, re-electing Xiomara Núñez de Céspedes of the Dominican Republic as president.
The elections were held on July 21 during the committee’s Annual Plenary Meeting, ahead of the ICA Global Conference and General Assembly scheduled to take place in Panama from September 13 to 18.
Núñez de Céspedes will serve a second term as president, while María Eugenia Pérez Zea of Colombia was re-elected as vice-president. Ana Olveira of Spain was elected vice-president for the first time.
The seven-member Executive Committee also includes Alessandra Brogliatto of Italy, Nevena Bukova of Bulgaria, Sacsi Prieto Espinosa of Mexico and Mirna Lovatti of Paraguay.
The committee will also include, as ex officio members, the chairs of the gender equality committees from the ICA’s four regions — ICA Africa, ICA Asia and Pacific, Cooperatives of the Americas and Cooperatives Europe — bringing the Executive Committee’s total membership to 11.
Following her re-election, Núñez de Céspedes thanked members for their confidence and pledged to build on the work achieved during the previous term.
Among the committee’s priorities for the next four years are completing the global mapping of women cooperative leaders, advancing the establishment of an international leadership school for women, and promoting safe, violence-free spaces for women within and beyond the cooperative movement.
“We have a solid foundation to build on and to move forward with the transformations we need within our cooperatives, within our leadership structures and, above all, within our cooperative apex organisations,” Núñez de Céspedes said.
She also urged the newly elected committee members and candidates to remain actively engaged, stressing the importance of collective action in achieving the GEC’s objectives for the new term.
The renewed leadership will oversee efforts to strengthen women’s leadership across the international cooperative movement and keep gender equality at the centre of the ICA’s agenda during the 2026–2030 term.
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