ICA to Hold General Assembly During Festival of Cooperatives in Manchester and Rochdale

LONDON, March 20, 2025 – In 2025, the second International Year of Cooperatives, as proclaimed by the United Nations, and the 130th anniversary of the International Cooperative Alliance [ICA], a special General Assembly will be held during a four-day celebration of cooperative activity in Manchester and Rochdale, UK – the birthplace of the modern-day cooperative movement.

Hosted by The Co-operative Group and Co-operatives UK, the ICA General Assembly will take place on 2nd July 2025 in Manchester. Additionally, there will be celebratory activities for international participants throughout the week, culminating on July 5, 2025 to mark the International Day of Cooperatives.

On 3rd July, ICA and its Thematic Committees and Sectoral Organisations will organise meetings and activities for participants.

Additional events are planned in both Manchester and Rochdale to celebrate and raise awareness of the history of the cooperative movement in the United Kingdom. Activities will include visits to cooperatives in Manchester and the surrounding region, tours of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, cooperative seminars, and more.

The UK is home to over 7,000 cooperatives, with 200,000 employees and 15 million members, constituting more than a fifth of the country’s population. Rochdale, located just 10 miles outside Manchester, is steeped in cooperative history, being the birthplace of the first modern cooperative movement 180 years ago this year.

On 4th and July 5th , Co-operatives UK will host the National Co-op Congress at Rochdale Town Hall, a ‘parliament’ for the UK’s cooperative movement. This year’s conference will have a special focus on the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives.

ICA President, Dr Ariel Guarco, and Director-General Douglas Jeroen have already been confirmed as speakers, with the event also attracting leading figures from cooperatives, politics, and journalism. ICA delegates will have the opportunity to attend part or all of the Co-op Congress, which includes a special International Supper to celebrate the global cooperative movement.

Ariel Guarco, President of ICA, said: “The assembly is the most significant moment in the institutional life of our organisations. This year, this gathering holds special meaning because of the timing and location. I invite all our members to join us for these meaningful days, including the International Day of Cooperatives in 2025, during the International Year of Cooperatives, in a place where the modern cooperative enterprise was born nearly two centuries ago.”

Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK and ICA Board Member, commented: “I am so excited and proud that the UK and Greater Manchester will welcome the global delegation in July 2025. We are truly thrilled to be hosting this event during the UN International Year of Cooperatives, and we have a special programme lined up for the occasion.”

Shirine Khoury-Haq, Chief Executive of The Co-operative Group, said: “The Co-op Group is honoured to be hosting the ICA General Assembly during the second International Year of Cooperatives. 180 years after we were founded in Rochdale, our cooperative values still guide how our coop does business. Cooperatives have a vital role to play in demonstrating a different and fairer way of doing business and, most importantly, delivering value and better outcomes for our members and society.”

The Co-operative Group is one of the world’s largest consumer cooperatives, with interests across food retail, funerals, insurance, and legal services. It is owned by and run for its 6.2 million members. With over 2,300 food stores and more than 800 funeral homes, Co-op also supplies products to 6,000 other outlets, including those run by independent cooperatives, through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited.

Employing 55,000 people, Co-op has an annual turnover of over £11 billion and is recognised as a leader in social goals and community-led programmes. Co-op exists to meet its members’ needs and champion the causes they believe in.

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