ICA’s 20th Congress was held in Stockholm. Dr G. Keler [Sweden] was authorized to undertake an exploratory tour of Asia to assess the need for establishing an ICA Asian Regional Office. He visited Pakistan, India, Ceylon, Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea and held discussions with important cooperative organizations, government and cooperative leaders and UN Agencies. Dr Keler had proposed to hold an international consultation conference to discuss his findings.

International Consultation Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, suggesting setting up an ICA Regional Office for South-East Asia.

The Swedish Co-operative Union & Wholesale Society [Kooperativa Forbundet-KF] opened a representative office in New Delhi to train cooperative leaders from India. Bertil Mathsson [Sweden] was appointed as Resident Representative and head of the KF Education Centre. A fund “Without Boundaries” was established by the Swedish Cooperative Movement to provide financial and technical support for developing movements.

First Regional Seminar on “Cooperative Leadership in South-East Asia” was inaugurated in New Delhi on November 14, 1960 by Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. This marked the formal inauguration of the ICA Regional Office in the presence of representatives of the Indian Government, foreign embassies in New Delhi, the All-India Cooperative Union, other cooperative organisations, and the participants of the regional seminar.

Mrs Indira Gandhi was appointed as Honorary President of the ICA Advisory Council and Prof DG Karve [India] as its Chairman. Ms U Nyi Nyi [Myanmar] was appointed as the first ICA Regional Officer.

KF converted its representative office into ICA Education Centre for South-East Asia and Bertil Mathsson [Sweden] was appointed as its Director.

ICA Head Office established ICA Regional Office for South-East Asia as an extension of its Head Office secretariat.

First Asian Agricultural Cooperatives Conference was held in Tokyo in collaboration with the ICA. ICA Regional Office in collaboration with UNESCO and the National Cooperative Union of India organized the first regional seminar on ‘The Contribution of Cooperation to the Emancipation of Women’ in New Delhi, India.

ICA Cooperative Ministers’ and Cooperative Top-Level Leaders’ Conference was held in Tokyo, Japan.

ICA and KF merged the ICA Education Centre and the ICA Regional Office into one office under the name of ICA Regional Office & Education Centre for South-East Asia. Dr SK Saxena assumed full responsibilities of the merged office as ICA Regional Officer for South-East Asia. To set up a permanent office, the land was purchased at 43 Friends Colony in New Delhi.

ICA Regional Office was moved into newly-built premises in New Delhi, called ‘Bonow House’. The construction was financed by Swedish Utan Gransar [Fund Without Boundaries], SIDA [Swedish International Development Agency], ICA Development Fund, and Asian Cooperative Movements. The building was inaugurated by Mr Jagjivan Ram, the then Agriculture Minister of India, in the presence of Dr Mauritz Bonow on February 16, 1968.

The Foundation stone was laid on June 01 1969 by YB Chavan, India’s Home Minister

The designation of ICA Regional Officer changed to ICA Regional Director

ICA declared 1971-1980 as the ‘Cooperative Development Decade’. The ICA Regional Office implemented several development programmes for member countries e.g., offer of 500 cooperative scholarships by the Government of India to cooperatives in the region for training, women and youth empowerment especially relating to safe drinking water projects, income-generation activities, balanced diet, etc.

10^th Anniversary of the ICA Regional Office & Education Centre for South-East Asia, New Delhi, was observed with a function held at Bonow House on February 17, 1971.

FAO/SIDA/ICA Regional course on ‘Management of Fishermen’s Cooperatives’ was organized in Bombay, India.

The International Cooperative Trading Organisation [ICTO] was established in Singapore. It continued to function until 1978.

Regional Seminar on Cooperative Insurance and Promotion of Savings was held in Tokyo, Japan.

The first meeting of the Consumer Cooperatives Committee was held in Bali, Indonesia.

Technical studies on Women and Cooperatives were conducted for presentation at the World Conference on Women held at Nairobi in July. A regional study was conducted on Youth and Cooperatives in conjunction with the International Year of the Youth and the material thus gathered was circulated among ICA member organisations in the Region.

ICA/Japan Agricultural Cooperative Management Programme was initiated with funding support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries [MAFF], Government of Japan. The programme continued until 2006 in four phases of 5 years each in collaboration with JA-Zenchu and the Institute for the Development of Agricultural Cooperation in Asia (IDACA). A total of 291 managers of agricultural cooperatives from 16 countries were trained in 20 courses [until 2006].

ICA Domus Trust [Dr Mauritz Bonow Memorial] was registered under the Indian Trust Act to promote cooperative education and training and exchange of information and experience on cooperatives in the Region.

The first ICA-UNDP/TCDC Regional Study and Consultation on “Cooperatives in Asia - their Capacities and Capabilities” was conducted with the support of the Canadian Cooperative Association and in collaboration with UNDP/TCDC in New Delhi, India.

ICA Central Committee meeting was held in New Delhi, India, first-time ever in Asia, and was inaugurated by the then India’s Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.

The first Cooperative Ministers’ Conference was held in Sydney, Australia. These were subsequently held in Jakarta, Indonesia (1992), Colombo, Sri Lanka (1994), Chiangmai, Thailand (1997), Beijing, China (1999), Kathmandu, Nepal (2002), New Delhi, India (2004), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2007), Bangkok, Thailand (2012), and Hanoi, Vietnam (2017).

The First Regional Study on “The Role of Cooperatives in the Protection of Environment” covering 10 Asian countries was conducted, resulting in a comprehensive document titled ‘Cooperatives and Environment’. It was presented at the ICA 30th Congress held in Tokyo in 1992, and at the 2nd Cooperative Ministers’ Conference held in Jakarta in 1992.

The ICA/Japan Training Course for Rural Women Leaders of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia was initiated with financial support from MAFF, Government of Japan. Ten courses were held until 2000 in which 60 women leaders participated from 12 countries. All the courses were held in collaboration with JA-Zenchu and IDACA.

The ICA Regional Office in association with the FAO/UN and ILO agreed on the establishment of the ‘Network for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia-NEDAC’ with its headquarters in Bangkok at the FAO Regional Office for Asia-Pacific.

ICA 30th Congress was held in Tokyo, Japan, first-time ever in Asia.

Mr. Mitsugu Horiuchi, Chairman of JA-Zenchu, was elected as the Vice-President of ICA, the first time ever for any Asian to hold the position.

First Gender Consultation held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

A technical programme for the training and development of artisans and promotion of handicrafts in India was initiated under the International Organisation of Industrial, Artisanal and Service Producers' Co-operatives [CICOPA], a specialized committee of the ICA. It was completed in 1999.

ICA Business Office was opened in Singapore.

First Asia-Pacific Research Conference was held in Singapore.

First Cooperative Forum held in Singapore. It was subsequently held in Cebu, Philippines (2002), Chiangmai, Thailand (2004), Colombo, Sri Lanka (2006), Vietnam (2008), Beijing, China (2010), Kobe, Japan (2012), Bali, Indonesia (2014), New Delhi, India (2016), Tehran, Iran (2018)

The ICA/Japan training course on ‘Strengthening Women’s Agricultural Co-operatives in Rural Areas and Improvement of Farm Management and Rural Life’ was initiated with the financial support of MAFF, Government of Japan. The programme was conducted in collaboration with JA-Zenchu and IDACA. A total of 40 women leaders from 10 countries were trained until 2006.

ICA Domus Trust purchased new premises at 9 Aradhana Enclave, New Delhi, India.

A Post-Tsunami Cooperative Reconstruction Project was implemented in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia until 2007.

The first ICA/Japan Training Course on “Promotion of Sustainable Enterprises for Women” was initiated with funding support from MAFF, the Government of Japan and in collaboration with JA-Zenchu and IDACA. Until 2010 five programmes have been conducted in which 60 participants were trained. Another Training Course on “Capacity Building for Marketing” was initiated and until 2010, ten programmes were conducted in which 200 participants were trained.

The ICA/Japan Training Course on “Enhancement of Farmers’ Income and Poverty Reduction through Cooperatives” was initiated with financial support from MAFF, Government of Japan. Until 2010, three courses were held in which 36 participants were trained from 10 countries.

ICA-AP organized the Global Youth Conference in Singapore.

Myanmar Post-Cyclone Affected Cooperative Reconstruction programme was launched and completed in 2009.

The first meeting of the elected ICA-AP Regional Board was held in Tokyo, Japan

The Commemoration Volume was released in New Delhi to mark the completion of 50 years of service to ICA Member-Organisations in the Asia-Pacific Region.

ICA-AP supported members in New Zealand, Japan and Thailand who suffered huge losses due to natural disasters.

Mr. Jong-Ku Lee, Chairperson of the International Cooperative Fisheries Organisation (ICFO) received the Rochdale Pioneer Award on 18 November 2011 in Cancun, Mexico during the ICA General Assembly-2012.

ICA-MAFF (Government of Japan) Training Courses on Enhancement of Farmer’s Income and Poverty Reduction, Fostering Leaders for Management and Development of Agricultural Cooperatives, and Quality and Safety Management of Farm Products were initiated.

The UN International Year of Cooperatives (IYC), 2012 was launched by ICA at its General Assembly in Cancun, Mexico in November 2011 after its launch by the United Nations in New York at UN Headquarters on 31 October 2011.

ICA-MAFF (Government of Japan) Training Course on “Revitalization of Local Community by Rural Women” was initiated along with ongoing courses on “Enhancement of Farmer’s Income and Poverty Reduction” and “Fostering Leaders for Management and Development of Agricultural Cooperatives”.

The first Asia-Pacific Cooperative Registrars' Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ICA-AP Business Office was opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation participated in the World Conference on Youth in Sri Lanka and ensured the role and importance of cooperatives were recognized in the final declaration.

At the 11th ICA-AP Regional Assembly in Bali, Indonesia,  the Bali Resolution on “Cooperatives for Sustainable Development in Asia and Pacific,” was adopted to recognize the relevance of Sustainable Development Goals and position cooperatives in the Post-2015 Global Development Agenda.

This was the first full year since the Malaysia Business Office (MBO) was operational. The MBO was registered as a society and four seconded staff from ACFSMC, China; ANGKASA, Malaysia; JCCU, Japan; and NACF, Korea.

Devastating earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale struck Nepal in April affecting thousands of cooperatives and their members. ICA members raised around $1 million to support relief and rebuilding efforts.

A Resource Guide for “Advanced Training of Cooperatives on Entrepreneurship Development of Women and Gender Equality” was formally released by the ICA President, Dame Pauline Green on March 10.

ICA-AP Regional Office started a monthly e-newsletter to improve communication with its members in September.

Tagaytay+20 Third Regional Conference on the Status of Women in Cooperatives in Asia-Pacific was held in collaboration with the cooperative movement of the Philippines.

The European Union-supported project “Cooperatives in  Development–People-Centered Businesses in Action” was launched globally.

The regional office enhanced its engagement with regional entities such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Gulf Co-operating Countries (GCC), Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

The first Asia Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit was held in Bali (Indonesia) in September. 

Dr. Mauritz Bonow Young Researcher Award was instituted at the Regional Assembly to encourage young researchers in the field of cooperative research.

The ICA-AP Committee on Trade and Business was constituted to provide direction and leadership in the area of C2C trade, approved by the 12th Regional Assembly in November.

The Regional Office launched two new communications initiatives, Coop Mic and Coops Speak.

Asia Pacific Cooperative Development Conference was organized with NCCSL in

Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The first-ever cooperative hackathon called Coopathon 1.0 was organized at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode in collaboration with ULCCS, India.

For the first time, participants from Africa were included in the ICA-MAFF (Government of Japan) Training Courses.

The first Pacific Forum on Development of Cooperatives was organized in collaboration with ORCBDS in Vanuatu.

ICA-AP and ICA Africa organised the First Cooperative Development Conference for the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries in Morocco.

ICA-AP Regional Conference on Climate Action: SDG 13 was organized with CLT and GIZ in Thailand.

The Global Cooperative Entrepreneur (GCE) project was launched to identify youth entrepreneurs in India, Indonesia and Malaysia and culminated with the training for Ambassadors in Kozhikode, India.

The 2019 Rochdale Pioneers Award was awarded to Kim Byeong-won, chair of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) of the Republic of Korea and Howard Brodsky of CCA Global Partners.

First Global Youth Forum, a week-long immersive training for youth entrepreneurs (ages 18-35) and cooperators from around the world was held in Kuching, Malaysia.

ICA launched a forum for its members to participate in coordinating the global cooperative response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The ICA-AP Regional Office organized an online gathering to mark its 60^th anniversary in November.

The first Virtual Coopathon and the third of its kind was organized to engage youth to source sustainable, innovative, and technologically enabled solutions to address the challenges in the social and service sectors posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 33rd ICA World Congress on the theme, Deepening the Cooperative Identity, was held in December in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. It provided the opportunity for members to come together in person and celebrate 125 years of ICA and 25 years of the Statement of Cooperative Identity (SCI). To provide the Asia-Pacific perspective, the regional office organised a series of online consultations with members from the Philippines, Nepal, Iran, ASEAN and MENA (with our ICA Africa Office) region, and India to reflect on the SCI in their day-to-day operations and engagement with stakeholders.

The ICA-AP Regional Office also relaunched COOP Dialogue, a biannual publication, that covers the views of members, cooperators and practitioners, intending to start conversations around issues concerning cooperatives in the Asia-Pacific region.