ICA Participates in the 2025 Global Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development in Brussels

The 2025 Global Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development (PFD) was held from 17 to 19 June in Brussels, Belgium. Convened by the European Commission, the forum brought together civil society organisations, local authorities, and European Union (EU) institutions to reaffirm shared values, advance sustainable development, and strengthen inclusive global cooperation.

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA; Mr. Marc Noel, Director of Partnerships), along with its regional offices, ICA Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP; Ms. Monalisa Kashyap, Program Coordination and Advocacy Officer), ICA Africa (Mr. Melvin Khabenje, Policy and Advocacy Officer), Cooperativas de las Américas (Mr. Danilo Salerno, Regional Director), and Cooperatives Europe (Ms. Annalisa Vallone, International Development Coordinator),  participated in the forum as part of the broader civil society delegation.

This year’s meeting took place amid a shifting development cooperation landscape, shaped by the EU’s evolving external policy priorities. The Team Europe approach and the Global Gateway strategy have introduced new frameworks for EU engagement with partner countries. In this context, the Global PFD provided a timely space to reflect on how partnerships among EU institutions, Member States, civil society, and local authorities can remain committed to poverty reduction, sustainability, and global solidarity.

Organised under the theme “Partnering with Civil Society and Local Authorities for Greater Impact,” the forum focused on:

• Reinforcing the PFD as a strategic platform for open, inclusive dialogue between EU institutions and diverse global partners, rooted in shared values, human rights, and gender equality
• Addressing critical cooperation issues such as fragility, human development, and enabling environments that are not fully covered by the Global Gateway, and offering recommendations to keep these on the EU’s agenda
• Sharing impactful case studies of international cooperation
• Developing recommendations for the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) to ensure development financing is inclusive, context-sensitive, and aligned with the localisation agenda and the SDGs

On the first day, regional caucuses allowed each region to align their positions and prepare collective input for the wider forum discussions. The second day featured the high-level opening of the Global PFD. Mr. Noel, speaking on behalf of ICA, described cooperatives as a “private sector with a twist,” highlighting their democratic ownership structure and social mission. He underscored how cooperatives serve as a bridge between civil society and the private sector, placing people, planet, and participation at the centre of economic activity. He was joined in the opening panel by Mr. Koen Doens, Director General, INTPA, Ms. Susana Erostegui, Mesa de Articulación, and Ms. Bernadia Tjandradewi, UCLG ASPAC. Subsequent discussions focused on building enabling environments and tackling fragility and forced displacement.

The final day focused on Human Development, Locally Led Development, and the MFF. During the World Café session on Human Development, Ms. Kashyap from ICA-AP facilitated one of the group discussions, which centred on experience sharing across contexts. The other two groups explored emerging trends and proposed pathways forward.

As part of the Locally Led Development segment, Mr. Noel and Ms. Vallone co-facilitated one of four parallel sessions, titled Locally Led Resilience and Growth. The other sessions explored Inclusive Human Development, Global Partnerships for Impact, and Sustainable Climate and Economy.

The meeting concluded with closing remarks by Ms. Marlene Holzner, Head of Unit, G2 Local Authorities, Civil Society Organisations and Foundations, DG INTPA, European Commission. This was followed by reflections and feedback from PFD members, capturing the spirit of cooperation and commitment that defined the three-day forum.