ICA-AP Welcomes Two New Associate Members, Growing the Network to 124

ICA-AP’s membership now stands at 124 organizations across 29 countries, with two new Associate Members joining the fold this quarter: the Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives, Inc. and the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission (MCSC).

The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives was registered as a non-stock, non-profit organization in July 2023, starting with a 14-member Board of Trustees. It has since grown into a network of sixteen Regional Cooperative Chambers representing 327 primary cooperatives, positioning itself as a unifying voice for the movement in the Philippines. Its work already carries weight, including an Executive and Legislative Agenda that has delivered modest wins on tax-related issues, and a partnership with the National Anti-Poverty Commission. Joining ICA, the Chamber said, is a way to mainstream the interests of the global cooperative movement and strengthen its own cooperative identity as “a viable alternative for building a better world.”

MCSC brings a different kind of weight to the network: it is the Malaysian government body responsible for registering, developing and regulating cooperatives under the Cooperative Societies Enactment 1922, with a mandate spanning everything from preserving cooperative values to acting as trustee for Islamic financing schemes extended to cooperatives. For MCSC, membership is about tapping into ICA’s global leadership on cooperative values and inclusive growth, and joining a network where it can trade best practices and take part in research and working groups alongside cooperative leaders worldwide.

ICA-AP welcomes both organizations into the movement.