Tuesday, 21 July 2026 — 14:00 CEST (6:00 am Costa Rica time)
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) hereby convenes the upcoming Annual Plenary Meeting of its Gender Equality Committee (GEC), to be held online on Tuesday, 21 July 2026 at 14:00 CEST (6:00 am Costa Rica time).
The meeting will include elections to appoint a new Executive Committee, President and Vice-Presidents of the GEC for the 2026–2030 term.
Elections to the GEC Executive Committee
Important dates:
- 27 May 2026: Notice of elections (55 days before the elections, which is 10 days more than required under the GEC Internal Rules, which establish a minimum notice period of 45 days).
- 21 June 2026: Deadline to submit nomination forms (30 days before the elections).
- 6 July 2026: Deadline to submit proxies to delegate votes (15 days before the elections).
- 21 July 2026: Annual Plenary Meeting & Elections Day (online, first call of the Annual Plenary Meeting; a quorum of 50% of the membership present or represented is required).
- 14 September 2026: If quorum is not reached at the first call, the Annual Plenary Meeting & Elections will be held in Panama in hybrid format during the ICA Global Conference and Assemblies.
Applications to stand for elections
Any GEC member wishing to stand for election to the Executive Committee must complete and sign the nomination form available at the bottom of this page and send it to Francisco Núñez, Secretary of the GEC, at nunez@ica.coop no later than 21 June 2026.
Nomination forms are available in both English and Spanish. Applicants only need to complete and submit one version.
The nomination forms must indicate whether, in addition to wishing to become a member of the Executive Committee, the applicant also wishes to run for President or Vice-President (checkboxes are included in the form for this purpose).
In addition to the nomination form, applicants are requested to submit:
- A photograph
- A short biography
These materials will be published on the GEC website to allow members to become familiar with the candidates and make a more informed decision.
Important information
About the Membership:
- There are currently 39 members registered with the GEC. Organizations wishing to consult the membership list may contact the Secretary of the GEC.
- ICA Members may change their GEC Member by completing and sending a new nomination form to the GEC Secretary.
- During its bimonthly meeting on 9 June 2026, the GEC Executive Committee may approve the latest membership applications, allowing new members to join the GEC and participate in the elections. The membership application form can be found below.
About the Annual Plenary Meeting:
- A quorum of 50% of the membership is required at the first call in order to hold the Annual Plenary Meeting and the elections. This means that at least 20 members must be present or represented.
- If quorum is not reached, no quorum will be required for the second call of the Annual Plenary Meeting. In that case, the meeting and elections will take place on 14 September 2026 in Panama, in hybrid format, during the ICA Global Conference and Assemblies.
About the Elections Process:
- To facilitate participation, the elections will be conducted using an electronic voting system, as in previous electoral processes.
- Only one vote per member organization is permitted. Organizations may also designate up to two additional non-voting observers.
- Each member of the GEC may cast:
- Its own vote.
- Up to two proxy votes from two other organizations.
- Proxy forms will be distributed after 21 June 2026, once nominations are closed, and may be submitted until 6 July 2026.
- The elections will appoint seven members of the Executive Committee:
- 1 President
- 2 Vice-Presidents
- 4 additional members
- These elected members will join the four ex officio members (the Chairs of the regional gender equality committees), for a total of 11 Executive Committee members.
- No one may hold the offices of president of a regional gender equality committee and President of the GEC simultaneously.
- Elections will be held in two rounds:
- Election of the seven new Executive Committee members by the GEC membership.
- Election of the President and two Vice-Presidents by the new Executive Committee.
- An Elections Committee composed of three individuals with no personal or organizational interest in the elections will oversee the electoral process.
For any questions or requests, please contact Francisco Núñez, Secretary of the GEC, at nunez@ica.coop.
Download the relevant documentation below.