​At WECF, we are committed to promoting gender-just and sustainable cooperatives across 70 countries. Our Executive Director, Sascha Gabizon, recently discussed our initiatives and approach in an interview with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA).

Sascha highlighted how the cooperative model fosters social justice and sustainability, emphasizing its democratic structure that enhances women’s access to finance and decision-making roles. For example, in Uganda, we support rural women’s agricultural cooperatives in securing land rights and accessing renewable energy solutions. Sascha also underscored the necessity of political backing to empower cooperatives in achieving gender equality and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Read the full interview here!

It’s an easier step to take for a woman to become a member of a cooperative than to become a shareholder in a big company. It’s a model which has proven itself extremely important, but I think we are still missing political support [and] we really need to fight to make sure that the cooperative model is seen as probably the best alternative for sustainable development worldwide.