Working Women’s Forum hosts U.N. side event on grassroots women’s cooperatives

A side event of the 64th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development (CSocD64), titled ‘Strengthening grassroots cooperative institutions as catalysts for social justice, economic resilience and gender equality’, was held on Wednesday (February 5, 2026) at the headquarters of the Working Women’s Forum-Indian Cooperative Network for Women (WWF-ICNW) in Chennai.

Addressing participants virtually, WWF-ICNW president Nandini Azad said the event marked the fifth time a U.N. CSocD side event was hosted from Chennai. The hybrid programme connected members and grassroots leaders at the venue with online participants from over 25 countries, while more than 300 women workers from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana followed the proceedings.

Dr. Azad said WWF-ICNW now represents over 2.15 lakh women across 250 trades through 13 branches in South India. Thanking the UN ECOSOC for recognising grassroots women’s cooperatives, she noted that the organisation has, for over 45 years, ensured that the voices of women from the informal sector are heard at global platforms, including BRICS and G20 forums. She added that WWF-ICNW has conducted nearly nine ECOSOC side or parallel events from Chennai over the past 25 years, enabling direct interaction between grassroots women and international leaders.

The International Raiffeisen Union (IRU) Secretary General Andreas Kappes, Secretary General of the World Farmers Organization Arnold Puech d’Alissac, and others also addressed the event.