New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): IFFCO Chairman Dileep Sanghani has been elected as an At-Large Director to the Global Board of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) for the 2026-2030 term, according to a statement issued by the ICA.

As per the release, 16 cooperators from 16 countries were elected to the ICA Global Board for the 2026-2030 mandate during the ICA's 2026 General Assembly held in Panama on Tuesday, September 15.

"In total, 116 voters representing 193 Members from 66 countries attended the meeting, with the event taking place during the ICA Global Conference week hosted in Panama," it said. 

Sanghani, a trained lawyer, has been associated with the cooperative movement for more than four decades. He is a former President of the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) and played a key role in hosting the ICA Global Cooperative Conference and General Assembly in 2024, as well as the launch of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 in New Delhi.

A four-time Member of Parliament and former Cooperation Minister, Sanghani has advocated the vision of "Prosperity through Cooperation." As IFFCO Chairman, he leads a cooperative network comprising around 35,700 cooperatives representing more than 50 million farmers.

The conference was held under the theme "Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions to a Peaceful World," with peace remaining a key focus.

"The meeting, which took place at the Panama Convention Centre on Tuesday 15 September, saw Dr Ariel Guarco elected unopposed as President, and 15 At-large Directors elected from 24 candidates, including 7 returning directors and 8 who are new to the ICA Board," the release said. 

The previous elective ICA General Assembly was held in Seville, Spain, in 2022. The next General Assembly is scheduled to take place before July 1, 2027.

"Alongside the President and 15 At-large Directors, the 30-strong ICA global Board includes four Vice Presidents (the Presidents elected in each of the ICA's four geographical Regions); one member appointed by each of the ICA's eight Sectoral Organisations; the President of the Youth Committee; and the President of the Gender Equality Committee. Following Youth and GEC elections, Harsh Sanghani and Xiomara Nunez de Cespedes will also be joining the board," the release noted. (ANI)