Resolution of the 9th International Cooperative Alliance Asia Pacific (ICA-AP) Co-operative Forum

Held during the events organised at the 12th ICA-AP Regional Assembly, New Delhi, India

Theme: Co-operatives: The Power to Act for a Sustainable Future

Adopted by the ICA-AP members and stakeholders participating at the 9th AP Co-operative Forum, on 17 November 2016.

Preamble

Having witnessed poverty, hunger, social injustice and gross inequalities in our culturally diverse and ecologically rich region;

Recognizing the growing inability of people to have access and control over their natural resources due to unsustainable exploitation  and profiteering at the cost of the planet

Having established the potential and the power of co-operatives to act in our world’s collective pursuit to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the international community  in 2015;

Taking into account the Declaration coming out the 3rd International Summit of Cooperatives in Quebec City, Canada, and;

Appreciating the efforts of the ICA and its members in the Asia Pacific region towards implementing the ICA Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade within the context of the SDGs;

Understanding that sustainability is regaining ecological integrity as opposed to strategy of unethical economic growth which has sacrificed mother earth and the people at all costs and;

Resolving among other things, to harness the power of co-operatives collectively to act towards an inclusive sustainable future,

We, the participants of the 9th Asia-Pacific Co-operative Forum, having met at the Convention Hall of the Hotel Ashok, New Delhi on 17 November 2016, commit to the following resolutions:

1. Ensure peace and harmony in nations by active practice and propagation of the co-operative model of enterprise in line with the ICA Statement on Co-operative Identity,
2. Enhance innovation in co-operatives by investing in education, training and research activities among members and relevant stakeholders of co-operatives 
3. Effect a paradigm shift in the response of co-operatives in the following areas:

• Food-security and sovereignty
• Ecological integrity
• Renewable energy
• Gender mainstreaming towards ‘equality’,
• Inclusion of youth for inter-generational sustainability,
• Aid governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies towards elimination poverty and inclusion of the impoverished into the mainstream development process,
• Collaborate with policy makers and legislators, in line with ILO recommendation 193 and the overall ICA strategy for co-operative development, to create and maintain an enabling environment for a sustainable co-operative movement,
• To positively explore and impact the global business community with growth and development of the co-operative enterprise and,
• Continue to provide substantial support to members and their communitysuffering from ecological as well as man-made disasters and enhance individual as well asinstitutional capacitiesto cope with disasters, be better prepared, and mitigate related risks.

4. Implement the following recommendations made during the technical sessions of the 9th Co-operative Forum:

• Provide support to the global co-operative movement to enhance co-operative membership from 1 billion to 2 billion members by 2030,
• Pledge to contribute to achieving the SDGs and report their progress at www.coopsfor2030.coop,
• Enhance capacities of co-operatives through effective study, research, monitoring and evaluation in areas suggested by Alliance members,
• Revisit the relationship of national and regional movements with governments and regional associations of nations, in the interest of our concern for the community and development at large, and advocate with governments in support of the cooperative movement
• Pursue the principle of cooperation among cooperatives to enhance business and deepen the network and broaden opportunities by making use of electronic platforms,
• Collectively address new demographic changes in Asia Pacific such as the ‘youth bulge’ in South Asia and ‘aging populace’ in countries like Japan, Singapore etc., through knowledge exchange and trainings,
• Bring government policies on skills development and entrepreneurship  closer to co-operative movements in order to benefit from national development strategies and funds,
• Adopt, align and promote the co-operative identity (www.idenity.coop), our symbol of collective identity which differentiates us from other forms of business.

5. Increase the confidence of people in co-operatives as partners in development and growth of societies and economies by increasing transparency, honesty and integrity while upholding the co-operative values and principles.

Closing Statement

In a world dominated by bigbusiness, where economic control is in the hands of a few; where money is used to make more money, with utter disregard to the dignity of the people and the integrity of the environment; a paradigm shift has begun through co-operatives with their power to act for a sustainable future. We fully understand that the road ahead will be long and the climb will be steep, but we will certainly get there through our oneness and commitment because we firmly believe the DNA of co-operatives has come of age which are members-owned, value-based and sustainable enterprises.

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