From Visibility to Influence: Putting the New ICA Communications Strategy into Practice

What happens when communication practitioners from across the cooperative movement come together to discuss what communication should look like?

That was the question at the heart of the communication session as part of “Building Bridges Through Communication and Advocacy: From Visibility to Influence – Advancing the PROMOTE Pillar”, held during the ICA Global Conference in Panama on 16 September 2026.

The session marked the launch of the ICA Communications Strategy 2026-2030, which supports the ICA’s 2026-2030 strategic direction: Practice, Promote, Protect. The new Communications Strategy starts from a clear observation: cooperatives are often not visible in policy and public discussions, not because they lack impact, but because their stories are not being told strongly enough. It, therefore, aims to change the conversation. It seeks to move from simply explaining who cooperatives are to showing what cooperatives make possible.

The strategy is built around five pillars: positioning cooperatives as systemic economic actors; strengthening their institutional autonomy and credibility; winning the cultural and digital space; promoting democratic governance in the digital economy; and building a strong core narrative that shows cooperation in business as a strength, not a weakness.

The session began with Mr. Iñigo Albizuri, Chair of the ICA Communications Committee, and Ms. Leire Luengo, Director of Communications, ICA, who introduced the strategy and its five pillars.

Communication representatives from ICA regions, sectors and member organizations then shared examples of how these ideas are already being put into practice.

The first panel, moderated by Ms. Rebecca Harvey, Chief Editor, Co-operative News, brought together communicators from different parts of the cooperative movement. Ms. Shivali Sarna, Head of Communications and Membership Development, ICA-AP, spoke on winning the digital narrative; Ms. Francesca Zaganelli, Membership Coordinator, CICOPA, on democratic digital tools and cooperative identity; Ms. Andreea Nacu, Secretariat Coordinator, Cooperative Housing International, on using stories to amplify cooperative housing; Mr. José Pérez, Secretary General, International Health Cooperative Organization, on advertising campaigns in the health sector; Ms. María José Elizondo Solís, Visibility and Administrative Affairs Officer, ICA-EU, Cooperatives of the Americas, on crafting a unified message; Ms. Della Waweru, Communication Officer, ICA Africa, on how neutrality builds trust; and Mr. Pieter Jan Herman, Communications Officer, Cooperatives Europe, on positioning cooperatives as systemic players in Europe.

Ms. Sarna highlighted how the Asia-Pacific region is putting Pillar 3: Winning the Cultural and Digital Space into practice. She focused on three key elements of effective cooperative communication: human stories, economic evidence and digital amplification. She shared three examples from the region: ICA-AP’s communications training program, which strengthened the capacity of communicators across Asia-Pacific to tell cooperative stories through digital branding, storytelling and data-driven communication; BCCM Icons Campaign in Australia, which brought cooperative contributions into public and policy conversations through stories, social media, events and videos; and #SeedingStrength Campaign with Heifer International Asia, which amplified farmer cooperative stories from across South and Southeast Asia, highlighting their contribution to livelihoods, women’s empowerment and sustainable rural development.

Ms. Sarna emphasized that winning the digital narrative is ultimately about making sure the everyday experiences of cooperators are seen and understood.

“Our cultures and communities are diverse, but the cooperative values that connect us are universal,” she said, encouraging communicators to adapt the strategy to their own contexts and work together to build stronger digital narratives.

The second panel explored how the communications strategy can respond to the changing digital environment. It was led by Mr. Tom Ivey, Community Development Manager, DotCoop.

Ms. Zhang Xiaohong, Division Chief, International Cooperation Department, All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, brought an Asia-Pacific perspective to Pillar 4: Democratic Governance in the Digital Economy. Drawing on the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit 5.0 in Hangzhou, China, she shared how young people can be brought into conversations around technology, innovation and the future of cooperatives. The summit demonstrated the importance of creating spaces where young people can participate, share ideas and contribute to shaping the digital future of the cooperative movement.

Other speakers added perspectives from different regions. Ms. Rose Marley, CEO, Cooperatives UK, spoke on the role of cooperatives as systemic economic actors. Ms. Fabíola Nader Motta, COO, OCB System, discussed the core narrative and the importance of strong cooperative branding. Mr. Godfrey Ng’urah, Managing Director and CEO, Co-operative Bank of Tanzania shared his organization’s activities in developing digital awareness of cooperatives.

Across the different examples, one message came through clearly. Communication is not only about increasing visibility. It is about building understanding, trust and influence.

The new ICA Communications Strategy provides a common direction for this work while leaving space for regions, sectors and individual cooperatives to bring their own experiences and voices into the story.

Most importantly, the discussion reinforced that technology, communication and innovation should serve people and communities.

For the cooperative movement, the task ahead is therefore not simply to tell the world what cooperatives are. It is to show, through real stories and evidence, what cooperatives make possible. By doing so, cooperatives can move from being seen as an alternative to being recognized for what they already are: an important and credible part of the economy and society.