COOPMUJER Congress proclaims that the sustainability of nations is only possible with female inclusion

Punta Cana.- The president of the Women’s Cooperative Committee proclaimed at the opening of the VII MUJERCOOP Congress that the sustainability of society is not achieved without social inclusion and without taking into account the potential, resilience and strength of the female contribution. Dr. Yanes Cristina Rodríguez Silver stated: “It is up to us to break stereotypes, transform roles and ensure that biological sex is not an obstacle to determining rights and development opportunities“, she affirmed. And she added: “Today, with emotion and hope, we affirm that the cooperative sector cannot move forward without all its women integrated, visible and respected, because in every woman dwells the transformative force of a sustainable future.” In the opening ceremony, the administrator president of the Instituto de Desarrollo y Crédito Cooperativo (IDECOOP), Maritza Altagracia López, also spoke, who highlighted that, from the State, President Luis Abinader has a clear concept of the role of women and announced that during the event the swearing-in of the first IDECOOP Women’s Committee will take place, an act to be held this Saturday, March 7. The president of the National Council of Cooperatives and the Confederation of Cooperatives of the Caribbean, Central and South America, licensed Eufracia Gómez Morillo, who maintained that both cooperativism and society as a whole have the obligation —and to some extent it has been done from the sector— of female potential, but there are still many steps and processes to be developed so that the reality of real social inclusion is a reality.

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Dominican Xiomara Núñez de Céspedes, president of the Gender Equity Committee of the International Cooperative Alliance of ICA Americas, recalled that 2026 has been declared by THE UN “to guarantee and strengthen access to justice for all women and girls“, which is linked to the daily reality of millions of women who participate in cooperatives in all sectors and regions.

“This year we have the privilege of honoring women farmers; they, with their work, enable the food sustainability of all people. Today more than ever they need their right to the lands they work and fair prices and credits that allow them to continue being the support of their families to be recognized,” said Núñez de Céspedes.

The opening keynote, given by Argentine engineer Sherryl Girón Moreno, director of the programs and projects of the Organization of Ibero-American States, presented experiences in education, cooperation, and development as pillars for an inclusive productive model. The specialist revealed that the most successful policies and strategies in the 23 Ibero-American countries are those that have validated the role of women in the face of development. “More inclusion of women has meant a greater positive social impact for the countries“, she affirmed. The inaugural day concluded with a panel on quantifying data to make visible the participation of women in social and productive processes, moderated by Anaisa Pérez de Gutiérrez, former president of MUJERCOOP, and Dalma Hernández, during which the perspective of gender-sensitive financing was analyzed. The VII Congress of MUJERCOOP and III International will continue today, Saturday the 7th, with a day that includes two other keynote conferences, three panels, and three conversations to arrive at a conclusions document that is expected to record the aspirations of inclusion and justice of Dominican, Central American, and Caribbean cooperative women.