The Fundación Espriu will host the leaders of the CM50

The international cooperative movement has taken a decisive step with the creation of the Cooperatives and Mutuals Leadership Circle (CM50), a global network of presidents and executives from cooperative companies promoted by the International Cooperative alliance (ICAA). This forum seeks to strengthen the presence of cooperative companies in the global economy and on the international political agenda, with particular emphasis on its impact during the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 and its participation in the Second World Summit on Social Development of the UN, which will be held in Doha, Qatar, in November, 2025.

The CM50 brings together executives from some of the most influential cooperatives in the world, with a prominent representation from sectors such as insurance, healthcare, banking and finance. In the healthcare area, the Chairman of Assistència Sanitària, Dr, Ignacio Orce and the Chairman of Asisa, Dr. Francisco Ivorra are taking part, bringing their extensive experience in the management of healthcare cooperative models.

At its first meeting, held on the 22nd of January, 2025, 35 leaders from over 20 countries coincided in the urgency of strengthening the visibility of the cooperative model in a global context marked by economic inequalities and social crises. Jeroen Douglas, Director General of the ICA, emphasised that the CM50 could become the “Davos of the cooperatives.”

Amongst its strategic goals, the CM50 will work on the creation of a letter of commitment and a plan of action, which will be presented at the Doha Summit. These documents will establish the specific lines of action to increase the impact of the cooperatives in key sectors and to guarantee a greater legislative and financial backing by governments.

The Fundación Espriu will host the group in Madrid on the 22nd of May, at a key meeting to finalise the documents that will be presented at the Doha Summit. This meeting will consolidate the action strategies of the CM50 and will reinforce the inter-cooperation.

The CM50’s initiative seeks to show that the cooperative business model is not only feasible, but rather it is necessary to build an economy that is fairer, sustainable and people-orientated. Through inter-cooperation, innovation and leadership, this forum is projected as a relevant agent in the transformation of the global economic system.