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2024 Cooperation Canada Awards Winners – Développement International Desjardins (DID)

2024 Cooperation Canada Awards Winners – Développement International Desjardins (DID)

by | Mar 10, 2025 | Members' Spotlight, Membership, News

On February 6, 2025, Cooperation Canada celebrated the 2024 Cooperation Canada Awards ceremony recognizing excellence and merit in the field of international cooperation by awarding prizes to individuals or organizations that have distinguished themselves in the past year.

Cooperation Canada and World University Services Canada (WUSC) were proud to present the 2024 Organizational Innovation and Impact Award, recognizing Canadian organizations that are doing impactful and innovative work, to Développement International Desjardins (DID)!

DID was honored with the award for its groundbreaking work in inclusive finance through the Aequitas investment fund. Launched in 2021, Aequitas supports inclusive financial institutions that promote sustainable inclusion for entrepreneurs and farmers, gender equality, and climate action. By providing patient capital, Aequitas helps empower vulnerable populations, enabling them to create decent jobs, improve access to healthcare and education, fight hunger, and escape poverty.

Initially funded with CAD 50 million from DID and Desjardins, Aequitas received an additional CAD 22.9 million in 2024 from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through the International Aid Innovation Program (IAIP). This was GAC’s first investment in a Canadian limited partnership. In response, Desjardins reinvested CAD 15 million, bringing the total fund to CAD 87.9 million. Additionally, DID and GAC have collaborated on a technical assistance program to strengthen the capacity of Aequitas-supported financial institutions, enabling them to better serve their customers, particularly women, and improve their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.

Congratulations, Développement International Desjardins (DID), on this well-deserved recognition! Read more about the other winners of this year’s Cooperation Canada Awards.

BHM 2025 – Interview with Bernabe Yameogo

BHM 2025 – Interview with Bernabe Yameogo

by | Feb 25, 2025 | Anti-racist cooperation, Members' Spotlight, Membership, News

For the second year, Cooperation Canada is celebrating Black History Month by highlighting the voices and contributions of Black leaders in Canadian international cooperation. Through this digital campaign, we are profiling changemakers, innovators and disruptors who are shaping the sector, sharing their achievements, challenges and perspectives. By amplifying these stories, we aim to foster greater recognition of Black leadership and inspire meaningful dialogue on equity and inclusion in international cooperation. Join us in recognizing and honouring these incredible leaders throughout February!

This week, we invite you to meet Bernabe Yameogo, freelance consultant.

Why did you decide to work in international cooperation and what have been some career highlights?

As Medical Doctor at the Regional Hospital in Burkina Faso, I was part of the health district management team, which enabled us to meet with communities to discuss their health problems and how they could participate in finding solutions. I realized how important it is to support communities in the global fight against poverty, so that their health status can improve. This was the beginning of my interest to international cooperation work.
 
During my career, I worked at different levels, I contributed of the development of community participation in health programming in West Africa. In Canada, I was able to position Plan International Canada as the federation’s leader in the acquisition and the implementation of high-quality programming of The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa and Latino-America, with a focus on gender mainstreaming in health programming. I also worked with Canadian Coalition to ensure that the government continued to finance appropriately the Global Fund during their 3 years replenishment.

What experiences have influenced your career as a Black person in the international cooperation sector?

Many Black professionals in international cooperation find themselves in spaces where they are underrepresented, especially in leadership roles. The good news is that many organizations are implementing diversity, equity and inclusion policy and this was great to influence Black person career in international cooperation. Accessing to networking and mentorship was crucial to my success in my career.

What are your hopes for the future, and what advice would you give to those wishing to work in international cooperation?

We had a good knowledge of the problems of international cooperation that are becoming more and more complex in a difficult economic context, but we had hope in the coordination of actions and the innovative approaches to solve development issues. We should move away from dependency-driven aid models toward empowering communities to drive their own development.
 
For those who want to engage in international cooperation work, consultation must be taken into consideration to develop projects that truly meet the needs of communities. They have also to keep in mind that working in international cooperation comes with challenges, bureaucracy, political shifts and sometimes slow progress. Persistence is crucial.
 
2024 Cooperation Canada Awards Winners – Dr. Roopan Gill

2024 Cooperation Canada Awards Winners – Dr. Roopan Gill

by | Feb 21, 2025 | Members' Spotlight, Membership, News

On February 6, 2025, Cooperation Canada celebrated the 2024 Cooperation Canada Awards ceremony recognizing excellence and merit in the field of international cooperation by awarding prizes to individuals or organizations that have distinguished themselves in the past year.

Cooperation Canada and World University Services Canada (WUSC) were proud to present the 2024 Individual Innovation and Impact Award, recognizing Canadian individuals that are doing impactful and innovative work, to Dr. Roopan Gill!

Dr. Roopan Gill is a leading expert in sexual and reproductive health, recognized globally for her innovative contributions to improving access to care in underserved and crisis-affected regions. As co-founder and CEO of Vitala Global, she has revolutionized reproductive healthcare through a groundbreaking digital health platform, aimed at providing abortion and contraception care to women and girls in some of the world’s most challenging contexts, including Venezuela, Guatemala, Colombia and Canada. With a background as an obstetrician-gynecologist and expertise in family planning and abortion care, Dr. Gill has worked extensively in emergency settings in Nigeria and Yemen with Doctors Without Borders, and supported women’s health projects in countries like Malawi, Chad and Pakistan.

Dr. Gill’s career also includes significant roles with the World Health Organization (WHO), where she contributed to the inclusion of Mifepristone in the WHO Essential Medicines List and was a key member of the Evidence Review team for the WHO’s Medical Management of Abortion guidelines. She holds a Masters in Public Health in Global Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and serves as a Clinical Investigator and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Gill has been recognized in Forbes as one of seven female founders leading inclusive, impact-driven organizations and was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the Women of Courage category in 2022.

Congratulations, Dr. Gill, on this well-deserved recognition! Read more about the other winners of this year’s Cooperation Canada Awards.

2024 Cooperation Canada Awards Winners – Katrina Leclerc

2024 Cooperation Canada Awards Winners – Katrina Leclerc

by | Feb 19, 2025 | Members' Spotlight, News

On February 6, 2025, Cooperation Canada celebrated the 2024 Cooperation Canada Awards ceremony recognizing excellence and merit in the field of international cooperation by awarding prizes to individuals or organizations that have distinguished themselves in the past year. 

Cooperation Canada was proud to present the 2024 Karen Takacs Award, to Katrina Leclerc in recognition of her outstanding contributions to advancing women’s rights globally. A dedicated advocate, Katrina has been instrumental in shaping Canada’s Office of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), amplifying youth voices, and supporting national action plans worldwide. Her leadership in feminist and inclusive peacebuilding reflects the award’s spirit, celebrating those who create meaningful change for women everywhere. 

At 21, Katrina began her work in gender equality and youth rights as a lead advisor to a Canadian Senator, playing a key role in establishing Canada’s WPS Ambassador role and advocating for Indigenous women’s rights in Canadian law. She later transitioned to the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) as Program Director, overseeing programs across 30+ countries and advocating for synergies between WPS and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS). She contributed to the development of National Action Plans (NAP), including Chad’s WPS NAP and DRC’s YPS NAP. As Chair of the Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C) and co-founder of the Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security (CCYPS), Katrina led advocacy to integrate YPS into Canada’s WPS commitments, ensuring the 3rd National Action Plan became Canada’s most youth-sensitive WPS policy. A PhD Candidate in Conflict Studies, she focuses on the intersections of WPS and YPS with local peacebuilding. 

Congratulations, Katrina, on this well-deserved recognition! Read more about the other winners of this year’s Cooperation Canada Awards. 

BHM 2025 – Interview with Bernabe Yameogo

BHM 2025 – Interview with Isaac Bayor

by | Feb 18, 2025 | Anti-racist cooperation, Members' Spotlight, News

For the second year, Cooperation Canada is celebrating Black History Month by highlighting the voices and contributions of Black leaders in Canadian international cooperation. Through this digital campaign, we are profiling changemakers, innovators and disruptors who are shaping the sector, sharing their achievements, challenges and perspectives. By amplifying these stories, we aim to foster greater recognition of Black leadership and inspire meaningful dialogue on equity and inclusion in international cooperation. Join us in recognizing and honouring these incredible leaders throughout February!

This week, we invite you to meet Isaac Bayor, Senior Policy Analyst at Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR).

Why did you decide to work in international cooperation and what have been some career highlights? 

The world of international cooperation is complex, but at its core, it’s about people coming together across borders to create meaningful change. As Desmond Tutu once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” This belief is at the heart of my commitment to the field—knowing that even small acts of kindness can lead to lasting transformation. 

A key career highlight was leading the board of the Africa Canada Policy Innovation Lab, a small but impactful nonprofit, to reshape its strategic direction. This experience allowed me to leverage my experience in international cooperation to foster a new narrative—one rooted in mutual respect and innovative partnerships between Africa and Canada. The goal was to shift from a top-down aid model to one of shared growth, leveraging and strengthening the comparative advantages of both regions to address shared pressing global challenges and promote mutual prosperity. 

What experiences have influenced your career as a Black person in the international cooperation sector? 

Like many immigrants to Canada, I wear multiple hats, and the intersection of my identities as a Black person and an immigrant has profoundly shaped my career. I often find myself bridging different worlds—navigating policy spaces while bringing the perspectives of my community. This dual lens enriches my approach to policy-making but also requires constant reflection on my positionality. It has made me acutely aware of the power dynamics and historical contexts that still influence the international cooperation sector. This awareness drives a critical question I ask myself daily: How can we move beyond the legacy of aid—rooted in hierarchy and dependency—and transform international cooperation into a true partnership for shared growth and prosperity? 

What are your hopes for the future, and what advice would you give to those wishing to work in international cooperation? 

I envision a future where international cooperation becomes a dynamic space for innovation, where creative partnerships foster mutual prosperity across regions. For those aspiring to enter this field, my advice is to embrace bold thinking, adaptability and an open mind. Our sector is facing a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and emerging global challenges that demand fresh ideas. The conventional approaches that once served us are no longer enough. 

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The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos – IDW Film Screening

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos – IDW Film Screening

by | Feb 14, 2025 | Membership, News

On Monday, February 3, 2025, Cooperation Canada members and individuals across the civil society sector gathered for the International Development Week Reception and Film Screening of “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos”, produced by The Agbajowo Collective. The evening consisted of a few special presentations preceding the film, a reception offering a space for meaningful conversations and delicious Nigerian refreshments and a Q&A opportunity with one of the film’s directors. 

The reception began with welcome remarks from Cooperation Canada’s CEO, Kate Higgins, and IDRC President, Julie Delahanty. The event featured the unveiling of “The Light,” a painting by Métis artist Colleen Gray, created live at the 2024 International Cooperation Futures forum. Inspired by the forum’s themes, the artwork symbolizes hope. It was auctioned by Cooperation Canada, with proceeds supporting Minwaashin Lodge’s services for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women and children. The painting will also be gifted to Minwaashin Lodge. Though Colleen Gray couldn’t attend, she shared a message about the painting that was read aloud. 

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Discussion on Inclusive Governance 

The event highlighted the importance of inclusive governance with remarks from MP Anita Vandenbeld, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, reaffirming Canada’s commitment to democracy and equity. Adrian Di Giovanni of IDRC then showcased the organization’s work in advancing democratic governance, linking it to the film’s themes and its impact on marginalized communities. 

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos 

After an evening of thought-provoking discussions and connection, attendees gathered for the screening of The Legend of The Vagabond Queen of Lagos. More than just a film, it is a powerful call to action—blending fiction with real-life events to expose the devastating forced evictions that have displaced thousands in Lagos, including over 30,000 people from the Otodo Gbame community in 2016 and 2017. By amplifying these untold stories, the film challenges audiences to confront systemic injustices and advocate for the rights of marginalized communities. 

Following the screening was an insightful Q&A session moderated by Chinelo Agom-Eze from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. What followed was an important discussion on the issue of forced migration, inclusive governance and housing crises on both a global and national scale. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us at this inspiring event. Support the Agbajowo Collective by reading more about their work through justice and empowerment initiatives. You can also directly contribute to the resettlement of the Otodo Gbame community and learn more about the campaign. 

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