Asia Pacific Cooperative Development Platform Presented at Global ICADP Meeting
On 17 September, Ms. Monalisa Kashyap, Program Coordinator and Advocacy Officer at ICA-AP, presented the Asia Pacific Cooperative Development Platform (APCDP) at the Global ICADP Meeting, held during the ICA Global Conference in Panama. APCDP is a regional initiative under the ICA-EU Partnership #coops4dev that brings together cooperative development organizations engaged in international cooperation across Asia and the Pacific.
Launched virtually on 4 September 2024, the platform promotes exchange, collaboration and joint action on international cooperative development in the region. It was formalized and adopted its Charter at the 17th ICA-AP Regional Assembly in Colombo on 24 November 2025. Its members are the Deutscher Genossenschafts- und Raiffeisenverband (DGRV), Germany; Haliéus, Italy; Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (ANGKASA), Malaysia; the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives (ACFSMC), China; the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), India; CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, the Philippines; the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), Korea; and the Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives (KFCCC), Korea. Its mission is to connect cooperative development organizations committed to advancing international cooperation, and its vision is a vibrant, united cooperative movement in Asia and the Pacific that empowers people in resilient, inclusive economies built on the principles of sustainable development.
The platform’s first two years included the first in-person meeting of members in November 2024, the onboarding of members on MiCDP, a members’ feature and the Coop Colloquium. A second in-person meeting in November 2025 featured the Cooperation Commitment Canvas (Share, Collaborate, Amplify), the signing of the APCDP Charter and a roundtable on the changing context in the donor community. A key message from the roundtable was that cooperatives must position themselves not only as economic actors, but also as contributors to environmental sustainability, cultural vitality and social well-being.
Activities for 2026 include the Global EU Training, four virtual sessions in October covering the EU external action ecosystem, governance and grant readiness, value propositions for EU delegations and EU compliance; the 5th Cooperative Climate Summit, organized by CLIMBS and ICA-AP on 9 and 10 December in Hong Kong; and the Investing in Impact Dialogue Series, a virtual series starting in January 2027.
Looking ahead, the 2026-27 action plan focuses on four areas: Coop Connect Asia, a members’ spotlight webinar series; Investing in Impact, a dialogue series with financial and donor institutions; policy engagement through one to two regional fora a year, such as ESCAP, the DG Forum, ASEAN and APEC; and an advocacy blueprint, a shared annual document with key messages and fact sheets.