The ICA-AP Regional Board met on 5 and 6 December in Perth, Australia in hybrid mode. Board members and observers from Australia, India, Japan, Nepal, the Philippines and ICA-AP Regional Office staff were present in-person,  while members from Iran, Korea, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka joined online.  

 

Mr. Simon Stead, Chairperson of CBH Group welcomed all the participants. Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, President of ICA-AP thanked Ms. Natalie Browning, Board Member from Australia and CBH Group for hosting the Board meeting. He noted that Australia is a significant country for ICA with three successful members - Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals, CBH Group, and Capricorn Society Limited,  who have been supporting and actively engaging in ICA activities at both the regional and global levels.

Mr. Alireza Banaeifar, Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation (ICYC), presented updates on Go Green Campaign 4.0 and the election of Mr. Ceejay, Vice-Chairperson, ICYC as the member of the ICA Global Youth Committee. Ms. Chitose Arai, who was elected as the Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women in November, introduced Ms. Priti Patel from NCUI, India as the new Vice-Chairperson of the Committee. She reported on the key activities - partnership with NATCCO, Philippines for delivering a training program on Climate Change,  the draft training manual   on Climate Change, and committee’s participation at the ICA GEC Webinar on “Cooperatives Join the Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls.”

Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, Regional Director, ICA-AP presented the 2023 budget, key activities and projects to be undertaken in 2023. He shared the 2022 ICA-AP activity report, membership & subscription status, and financial performance of the Regional Office. Dr. Yadav and Regional Board members acknowledged the activities carried out by the office. Ms. Shivali Sarna, Lead-Communication & Membership Development, ICA-AP presented the overview of the membership in the Asia-Pacific region and the proposal for the global membership recruitment campaign. The Board agreed with the need to have such a campaign and shared their suggestions. They noted, cooperative trade & business, practical training and services, tailor-made approach for target countries and organisations should be the focus as much as cooperative identity. The Board approved the venue and plan for the 16th ICA-AP Regional Assembly. It will be held in Luzon, Philippines with the theme – Cooperatives: Our Common Agenda from 6 to 10 November 2023.   

The Board also approved the date and venue of the next Regional Board Meeting, to be held in Nepal in April 2023. Dr. Yadav thanked the members for their active participation in the meeting.

Later in the day, the ICA-AP Board members participated in a knowledge enhancing session on  Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Standards which was facilitated by Ms. Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM; Mr. Peter Hunt, CEO, Mutuo; and Mr. Peter Watts, CEO Watts Sustainability. Dr. Yadav appreciated BCCM’s exemplary work in this arena and hoped that this session will initiate important discussions among the boards at the national and regional levels. In the evening, the ICA-AP Board met with the CBH Group’s Board of Directors and Executive Council and cooperators from Australia at the reception dinner hosted by the CBH Group.

 

On 6 December, the delegates had the opportunity to visit local cooperatives. They visited the Geraldton Fishermen’s Cooperative (GFC) which was established in 1950. GFC is an exporter of the premium-quality Western Rock Lobster, commonly known as crayfish, to customers across the globe. It is the largest processor and exporter of rock lobsters in the world today. This is was followed by a visit to the Blue Lake Milling. Established in 1973, Blue Lake Milling is a leading manufacturer of premium Australian Oat and Grain products. In 2016, CBH acquired this company. The last visit was to the Kwinana Grain Terminal of the CBH Group where the delegates learned about CBH Group which is Australia’s largest cooperative and a leader in the Australian grain industry. It has operations extending along the value chain from fertiliser to grain storage, handling, transport, marketing and processing.