On 18 February, the ICA-AP Regional Board met in Tokyo, Japan, for its first meeting of 2025. This was held on the sidelines of the IYC 2025 Launch for the Asia-Pacific and Japan. Board members from India, China, Malaysia, Iran, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka attended in person, and those from Australia, Nepal, and Vietnam joined online.

Mr. Toshio Tsuchiya, President of the Japanese Consumer Cooperatives’ Union (JCCU), warmly welcomed all the delegates. Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, ICA-AP President and the meeting Chairperson, expressed his gratitude to JCCU and the Japan Cooperative Alliance (JCA) for organizing the meeting and acknowledged Japan’s leadership in the cooperative movement. He reflected on the official launch of the IYC 2025 at the ICA Global Conference in New Delhi, highlighting the New Delhi Declaration and his 11-point action plan to strengthen the cooperative movement. He emphasized the importance of regional activities for IYC 2025, including national celebrations in several countries and the Asia-Pacific launch in Japan. Dr. Yadav also discussed key strategic priorities, including cooperative growth, financial stability, and governance, while addressing concerns about subscription fees and upcoming regional board elections. He announced the launch of a new ICA-AP website and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the upcoming Regional Assembly in Sri Lanka drives meaningful progress for the cooperative movement.

Key agenda items of this meeting included a discussion on election procedures for the upcoming Regional Board elections, updates on IYC 2025 activities and launch event, ongoing EU collaborations, launch of the ICA-AP revamped website, ICA-AP strategy, and a presentation on the preparations for the ICA-AP Regional Assembly in Sri Lanka in November 2025.

The Board approved the agenda and confirmed the minutes of the previous board meeting held in November 2024 in India. The Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women and Committee on Youth Cooperation presented an update on the activities undertaken and plans for the future. The board appreciated the work done by the youth and women committees.

Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, ICA-AP Regional Director, reported on ICA-AP activities undertaken after the last board meeting, membership, and the subscription status. The newly revamped website of ICA-AP was launched. Mr. Iyer shared updates on the ICA’s strategy development and plans to firm up the ICA-AP strategy. He further updated the board on key initiatives undertaken by members in the region to celebrate IYC 2025 and the regional office’s upcoming plans.

The National Council of Cooperatives in Sri Lanka (NCCSL) presented updates on preparations for the ICA-AP Regional Assembly and encouraged board members to facilitate active participation from their countries. Mr. Iyer outlined the broad theme and program for the event and announced plans for a dedicated event website. The Board also approved the revised election procedures.

The Board members had fruitful discussions, and the next regional board meeting will be held in July 2025 in China.