ICA Global Conference | Panama 2026

Panel Session: From Local Roots to Global Impact: Cooperatives and Leadership

The Co-operative College of the Philippines and CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative are honoured that Ms. Donna C. Dizon represented the Philippines as a panelist at the ICA Global Conference. In her reflection, Ms. Dizon noted:

“War often begins before it becomes visible. But peace does too.”

She shared the journey of CLIMBS, which began in 1971 in Cagayan de Oro City with a simple cooperative idea — people pooling resources to protect one another. Today, it has grown into a network of more than 4,000 member-owner cooperatives, reaching 65 million Filipinos, with work spanning insurance, climate resilience, renewable energy, education, inclusive finance, and advocacy.

Ms. Dizon emphasized the distinct advantage of cooperatives: their proximity to community. This proximity allows cooperatives to recognize vulnerabilities early and to respond before hardship becomes instability.

She underscored that the measure of cooperative growth is not scale alone, but whether communities are stronger and more resilient because the cooperative is present. We congratulate Ms. Donna C. Dizon for bringing the Philippine perspective to the global stage and for advancing the conversation on cooperatives as builders of resilience and peace.

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