The ICA-AP held its first regional board meeting of 2024 in Dead Sea, Jordan on the sidelines of the 11th Asia Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference (APCMC) on 27 April.
The August gathering was graced by His Excellency Khaled Mousa Shehadeh Alhuneafat, Minister of Agriculture of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Mr. Abdelfattah Al-Shalabi, Director General of Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC), and Dr. Nizar Haddad, Director General of National Agricultural Research Center (NARC). They welcomed all the board delegates to Jordan, the land of stability and reinforced their commitment to ensure that the Conference is held successfully. The meeting was also joined by Dr. Ariel Guarco, ICA President and Mr. Jeroen Douglas, ICA Director General.
Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, ICA-AP President and Chairperson of the meeting welcomed all attendees who had joined in person and online, expressing gratitude for their participation. Board members from India, China, Malaysia, Iran, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines joined in person, those from Nepal, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka joined online, and Australian member didn’t join. He highlighted the importance of the 11th APCMC and emphasized the role of cooperatives in peacebuilding amidst geopolitical challenges in the region. He thanked the hosts MoA and JCC for their gracious hosting and arrangements.
The Board approved the agenda and confirmed the minutes of the previous board meeting held in November 2023, in the Philippines. The Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women and Committee on Youth Cooperation presented a brief update on their activities undertaken so far and plans for the future. The board appreciated the work done by the youth and women committees. The Women’s Committee invited the Board members to participate and interact with the participants of their upcoming Women CEOs in Cooperatives Summit. The Summit is scheduled to be held from 29-31 July 2024 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, ICA-AP Regional Director, reported on several activities including the NGO CSW68 Forum's virtual side event on the Impact of Cooperative Financing on Women’s Empowerment in Asia-Pacific, the ICA-AP Trade & Business Committee's Resolution on Streamlining Regional Rice Supply Management, and a forum on Cooperative Principle 6. Additionally, he highlighted ICA-MAFF (Japan) Training Courses, COOP Colloquiums covering topics like managing cooperatives and systems innovation, and COOP Dialogue 5.
Mr. Iyer provided an update on the ICA-EU Framework Partnership Agreement Phase 2, the financial report and projections of ICA-AP and ICA-EU budget, as well as the status of membership and subscription dues in the region. He updated on the ICA recruitment campaign "Meet & Greet the ICA," aimed at familiarizing potential members and cooperatives with the organization. He noted that the ICA-AP event is scheduled for May 28, 2024, which will include an introduction to the ICA and its activities, presentations from the ICA-AP regional office, member testimonials from the region, and Q&A session.
Mr. Iyer presented a plan to celebrate the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) with the theme "Cooperatives Build a Better World." The plan includes showcasing cooperative impact on local and global economies, aligning with the SDGs, raising awareness of cooperative principles and values, strengthening cooperative networks locally and globally, and enhancing member engagement and growth. He also shared an outline of the ICA strategic plan for 2025 to 2030 and the plans for the upcoming ICA General Assembly being organised in India.
The Board agreed that the next regional Board meeting will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 29 July 2024.
