APCYS 5.0: Youth, Cooperatives and AI Are Set to Meet in Hangzhou
From 1 to 4 September, Hangzhou, China becomes the meeting point for the 5th Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit (APCYS 5.0), bringing together young cooperative leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers and ecosystem partners from across the region and beyond. Organized under the ICA-EU Financial Framework Partnership Agreement’s #Coops4Dev programme, this year’s Summit carries a theme built for the moment: Future-Ready Cooperatives: Youth Shaping Ethical AI and Digital Economies, a direct invitation for young people to help cooperatives navigate rapid technological change without losing what makes them cooperative in the first place.
The four days are built to move participants from inspiration to action. Day one opens with an inauguration featuring the Government of China, Zhejiang Institute of Economics and Trade (ZJIET), ICA-AP and the All-China Federation of Supply & Marketing Cooperatives, alongside the premiere of the “Voices of the Future – YO(You)TH” video, the launch of the APCYS logo, and a Parade of Nations. Day two goes deeper into the Summit theme through keynotes, plenary discussion, hands-on capacity-building and Coop Pitch mentoring. Day three belongs to youth-led solutions: a Policy Hack Dialogue, a Youth Open Mic and Story Circle, and the Coop Live Pitch, closing with the winners’ announcement and the launch of the APCYS 5.0 Commitment. The Summit wraps on day four with a Go Green Campaign and field visits to cooperatives and AI-focused companies, grounding four days of discussion in real institutions.
Behind the sessions is a lineup spanning technology, cooperative development, social innovation, youth leadership and policy: Mr. Akkanut Wantanasombut of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; Mr. Balu Iyer and Ms. Monalisa Kashyap of ICA-AP; Mr. Adili Wubuli and Mr. Guo Fuchun of the All-China Federation of Supply & Marketing Cooperatives (ACFSMC) and the Zhejiang Institute of Economics and Trade (ZJIET), China; Ms. Liu Xiuli, also of ZJIET, China; Ms. Yuyu Chen of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD); Mr. Rayann Koudaih of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Mr. Harsh Sanghani of the ICA Youth Committee, India; Ms. Dulce Bustamante of the ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation, the Philippines; Mr. Ho Wei Liang of the Global Youth AI Advisory Body, Malaysia; and Mr. Paulus Ohio of inKUR Federation, Indonesia, among others shaping the four days ahead.
Visit the APCYS 5.0 website here