Department of Cooperatives, Bangladesh Joins ICA as Associate Member

The Department of Cooperatives (DoC), Bangladesh, has joined the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) as an Associate Member, strengthening its engagement with the global cooperative movement.

The DoC is the regulatory and promotional body responsible for overseeing and facilitating cooperative societies across Bangladesh. Its work spans agriculture, non-agriculture, finance and service sectors, with a focus on capacity building, entrepreneurship development and institutional strengthening. The Department works to promote cooperative principles, strengthen governance through audit and supervision, enhance the skills of cooperative officials and members, and support entrepreneurship and self-employment. It also undertakes initiatives to empower rural women and marginalized communities and helps cooperatives improve branding and access to markets.

With its new association with ICA, the DoC looks forward to further connecting with cooperative organizations and institutions across the global movement and contributing to knowledge exchange, capacity building and stronger cooperative networks.

We welcome the department to the ICA-AP family!