The ICA-AP Trade and Business Committee, in its first meeting of the year on 25 February 2024, at the Co-operative League of Thailand (CLT) Training Center, Bangkok, unanimously approved a resolution to establish the Asia-Pacific cooperative movement as a facilitation platform for efficient management of rice supply import and export.
Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah, Vice President, ICA-AP and Chair of the Committee, President ANGKASA and ASEAN Cooperative Organization (ACO), emphasized that the cooperative movement, as a people's movement advocating for community needs, especially in food security, forms a basis for international cooperation. The outcomes of the resolution will be presented at the 11th Asia Pacific Cooperative Ministers' Conference to be held in Jordan from 28 to 30 April 2024.
The meeting was attended by 12 committee members in person with the Committee Secretary, Ms. Wan Azwati Wan Mohamed and 13 observers; Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, Regional Director, ICA-AP joined online. The meeting covered six agenda items, including the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting held in Manila, Philippines, on 7 December 2023, activity planning for the year 2024, discussions on arising matters, and the ICA-AP Trade & Business Survey Form. This form aims to engage ICA-AP members in identifying potential business opportunities and developing business and trade strategies.
The next Trade and Business Committee Meeting of ICA-AP is scheduled to be held in Kunming, China, in September 2024.
On the side lines, the committee also organized a forum on 'Co-operative Principle in Action: Principle 6 - Co-operation Among Co-operatives' in partnership with ANGKASA and CLT.
The global community recognizes cooperative businesses as transformative agents capable of reducing poverty and driving economic growth. To leverage their potential fully, it is essential to prioritize efforts in advancing cooperative activities through local, national, regional, and international cooperation. In line with this objective, the forum was organized to familiarize members with the significance and direct advantages of adopting the cooperative-to-cooperative (C-2-C) trade model through knowledge exchange. It also assessed the level of cooperatives' engagement with Principle 6, emphasizing cooperation among cooperatives.
Moderated by Ms. Christine Rowena ‘Tetay’ Plantilla, CEO, Federation of People's Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC) in the Philippines, the forum featured three distinguished panelists in cooperative management and leadership. Dr. Asanka Supun Thilakarathna, CEO, National Cooperative Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), shared insights on Sri Lanka's collaboration with CLT. Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hien, Store Director of Coop Xtra Linh Trung, Saigon Coop (Vietnam), discussed the C-2-C collaboration between Saigon Coop Vietnam and NTUC Fair Price Singapore. Dato' Haji Kamarudin Ismail, ANGKASA Board Member, ICA Global Board Member, and Vice President of Consumer Co-operative Worldwide (CCW), elaborated on the cooperation between ANGKASA and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), Korea, through the 'Heifers Park' Dairy Cattle Project in Johor.
The forum included a knowledge-sharing session by Mr. Todor Ivanov, Secretary General, Euro Coop and Director of Consumer Co-operative Worldwide (CCW), titled 'Co-operative to Co-operative E-Commerce Platform.' Participants gained insights into cooperative collaboration in digitalizing cooperatives and the importance of developing sustainable and resilient supply chains less exposed to climate change. Mr. Ivanov proposed three formulas that cooperatives can apply as solutions to supply chain inefficiencies: 'rethink,' 'redefine,' and 'restructure.'
A total of 17 representatives from the ICA-AP Trade and Business Committee attended the event in person from six countries – Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China, and the Philippines and 25 participants joined the forum online.
