IRU General Meeting 2023: Celebrating Cooperation and Sharing Expertise
The IRU – International Raiffeisen Union is gearing up for its upcoming General Meeting, scheduled to take place from October 3 to 6, 2023, in the picturesque city of Bonn, Germany. This significant event promises to bring together a diverse group of participants, with more than 35 colleagues representing IRU member organizations worldwide.
The General Meeting’s programme is packed with enriching activities that showcase the spirit of cooperative values and collaboration. It will further include full elections of the IRU Board of Directors and Presidency. The event kicks off on Tuesday, October 3, with the Raiffeisen Expedition Day. This will be a a captivating opportunity to meet the oldest winery cooperative in Europe as we will visit the Mayschoss Winery Cooperative, including a wine cellar tour and wine tasting.
Wednesday, October 4 marks the next Raiffeisen Expedition Day, featuring an expedition to the Westerwald Region, retracing Raiffeisen’s footsteps with a bus trip to the German Raiffeisen Museum in Hamm (Sieg). Attendees can look forward to a guided tour through the museum, which offers insights into the life and work of Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen and the founding period of cooperatives. The day also includes a discussion with Mayor Dietmar Henrich, a strong advocate of cooperative initiatives in his region.
Thursday, October 5 is dedicated to a full day of engaging activities, including the Raiffeisen Forum at the venue Hotel Collegium Leoninum. Highlights encompass a joint exchange of expertise on energy cooperatives and community-based cooperatives as drivers of economic and social sustainability, featuring insights from Benjamin Dannemann from the Bundesgeschäftsstelle Energiegenossenschaften of DGRV and Reinhard Sczech of the Vianova Cooperative. Additionally, there will be an interactive member exchange providing attendees with an in-depth presentation of IRU member organizations.
On the same day, we will celebrate the achievements of our Raiffeisen Ambassadors, recognizing their dedication and contributions to the pilot training which finishes end of September. This special event adds an extra layer of festivity to our exciting programme.
The event culminates on Friday, October 6, with the IRU General Meeting, which especially includes the full elections of the IRU Board of Directors and the Presidency.
The General Meeting promises to be a celebration of cooperation, shared knowledge and exchange as well as the important elections to the IRU as member based global network organisation. It provides a platform for our cooperative members and enthusiasts to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss relevant topics for the IRU as organisation and for the cooperative movement in general.
Stay tuned for updates and highlights from this exciting event.
As we look forward to this event, we also reflect on the rich history of cooperative achievements. In 2018, we celebrated 50 years of IRU at our jubilee event in Koblenz. To capture the essence of this momentous occasion, we invite you to relive those memories by exploring the following slider from the jubilee celebrations:
