The National Association of Cooperatives of Chile (ANCCh) held an event titled “Cooperatives in Motion: innovation, digital transformation and territorial development” to mark the 2025 National Day of Cooperatives. The gathering took place at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Chile, with attendance from government officials, cooperative sector leaders, and academics.
Álvaro García, Minister for Economy, Development and Tourism and Energy, addressed participants with a message highlighting recent progress in the cooperative sector. He stated: “Currently there are 40 programs that provide training and financing to cooperatives, which has made it possible that between 2022 and 2024 more than US$26 million have been executed, benefiting more than 1,400 cooperatives.”
Mauricio Rojas, president of ANCCh, commented on the ongoing development of cooperatives in Chile: “My call today is that we continue building a cooperative movement that is synonymous with innovation, inclusion and sustainable development. Let us continue to show that cooperation is a modern force—efficient and deeply human. And let us keep making Chile a reference point for the international cooperative movement: proud of our history and fully committed to the future.”
José De Gregorio, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Chile, added: “One always has the feeling that the country owes something to the cooperative world—but not this faculty—because we do this every year and we offer a postgraduate degree in cooperatives. Also when I see outstanding economists involved in cooperatives you could run an excellent undergraduate elective course on this topic.”
The event included two panel discussions. The first focused on challenges facing cooperatives regarding innovation and digitalization; panelists were Mario Ernst (CEO of The Evolution Labs Network), Felipe Gottschalk (General Manager at COOPRINSEM), and Rubén Ulloa (Manager for Technology and Digital Transformation at Coopeuch). The second discussion addressed decentralization within cooperatives with contributions from Paola Jirón (President of National Council for Territorial Development), Sandra Ríos (Executive Director at Vitis Los Lagos), and Natalia Sandoval (Alternate Director at Institute for Public Policy at Universidad Católica del Norte).
The event was also part of activities commemorating the International Year of Cooperatives as declared by the United Nations.
