The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is the international credit union system’s highest honor, first presented by World Council in 1986 to recognize member organizations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to credit union development outside their home country.
World Council member organizations may submit nominations in the following categories:
DSA Individual: Individuals who have provided exemplary service to the international credit union movement and have positively influenced credit union development outside their home country qualify for the individual category.
DSA Institutional: Organizations that have provided financial and technical assistance over an extended period of time to develop international credit union movements and their service infrastructure may be nominated in the institutional category.
The World Council awards committee reviews all nominations and selects the DSA recipients. Only World Council member organizations may make DSA nominations. Individuals nominated for the award should demonstrate some or all of the following:
Institutions nominated for the DSA must meet the following qualifications:
Previously nominated individuals or institutions that have not been selected may resubmit their candidature for consideration with updated documentation.
World Council presented 2024 DSA winners with their awards during the 2024 World Credit Union Conference in Boston, Mass., (USA), July 21-24. World Council provides DSA recipients with a complimentary conference registration each year.
Nominated by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), Ted O’Sullivan spent the last 15 years volunteering for ILCU’s International Development Foundation by providing support and mentoring to credit union movements in Belize, Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Uganda. He also delivered numerous training sessions on PEARLS, WOCCU’s tool that helps credit unions determine their financial health.
Nominated by Sicredi (Brazil), Arnaldo Jardim has been active in advocacy and climate change projects on behalf of cooperatives in Brazil and greater Latin America. He notably served as an important spokesperson for credit unions during discussions that culminated in their appropriate tax treatment in Brazil’s Tax Reform Act of 2023.