Fecoopnordeste announces 2026 congress with a focus on economic integration

The event, of national and international character, will be held from August 7 to 9, 2026 at the Convention Center of the Barceló Bávaro Hotel and will focus on the structuring of cooperative economic networks and circuits. Monsignor Nouel.— The Northeast Cooperatives Federation (Fecoopnordeste) announced the celebration of the VII Fecoopnordeste Congress, an academic and strategic space that this year will have as its central axis the structuring of cooperative economic circuits as a tool to strengthen the sustainability, competitiveness, and integration of the sector. The Congress will take place from August 7 to 9, 2026 at the Convention Center of the Barceló Bávaro Hotel, under the theme “Intercooperating is the key: networks, circuits and cooperative future”, and will have national and international participation from experts in social economy, financial integration, cooperative management and models of productive articulation.

Structural and Economic Approach

The president of the Board of Directors of Fecoopnordeste, David Polanco, explained that the seventh edition seeks to transfer the principle of cooperation between cooperatives to an operational and structural dimension.

“Intercooperating is not a rhetorical concept. It is a strategic decision that involves turning principles into mechanisms. Isolated growth has limits; articulated growth has a horizon. When cooperatives integrate into networks and economic circuits, they strengthen their resilience and their competitive capacity,” said Polanco.

As explained, the Congress will address international experiences where intercooperation has evolved into systemic models, such as the Mondragón Group in the Basque Country and the Brazilian cooperative systems in the health and credit sectors, which have managed to articulate thousands of cooperatives in common financial and operational structures.

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“Cooperative circuits allow the integration of production, financing, services and knowledge within the same economic ecosystem. That is the type of technical debate we want to promote in this edition,” he added.

Academic consolidation and internationalization

Fecoopnordeste highlighted that the Congress has evolved into a high-level academic forum within the Dominican cooperative movement. In its sixth edition, the event achieved international status for the first time, with representation from seven countries among exhibitors and participants, including delegations from Latin America and Europe. The Honduran delegation was the largest, with 29 participants, which strengthened the regional dimension of the meeting.

“The growth of the Congress has elevated the quality of technical analysis and the exchange of experiences on issues such as sustainability, governance, regulation, and cooperative economic articulation. Our goal is to consolidate it as a regional benchmark in terms of economic integration of the sector,” said Polanco.

Institutional context: from reflection to implementation

The announcement by the Congress comes at a time when Fecoopnordeste is promoting an internal process of structuring cooperative circuits in the Northeast region. In recent weeks, the Federation developed technical sessions for socialization and formed working commissions aimed at designing concrete proposals on operational integration and institutional articulation.

“We have gone from reflection to construction. This Congress will be the point of convergence where Dominican cooperativism will debate how to transform relationships into networks and networks into sustainable economic circuits, with a real impact on the competitiveness of the sector,” said the president of the Federation.

Institutional Support and Strategic Alliances The Federation recognized the historical support of companies and institutions that have supported the Congress since its first editions, including TruStage (formerly Cuna Mutual), Equifax, PM Electromuebles, the Reservas del País Foundation, CSTISA, Coopseguros and Coopmaimón, whose support has contributed to the financial sustainability and academic positioning of the event. Likewise, Fecoopnordeste highlighted the commitment of its federated cooperatives: Coopmaimón, Coopemprendedor, Cooprocama, Coopdefima, Coopalina, the Juan Adrián Cooperative, the San José del Puerto Cooperative, the Cotuí Truckers Cooperative, Coopenor, Coopersan, Coopfarmacia, Coopdemon and Cooprecicla, which constitute the operational base of the regional integration process.

Strategic Projection

The VII Fecoopnordeste Congress will convene cooperatives, federations, financial entities, academics, regulators, and strategic allies interested in the development of sustainable models of social economy. The academic program, international guests, and formal participation mechanisms will be announced in the coming weeks. With this edition, Fecoopnordeste seeks to position the debate on intercooperation as a structural agenda for Dominican cooperativism, in an economic environment that demands greater scale, articulation, and operational efficiency.