ICA Asia and Pacific Regional Office is pleased to announce the winners of the ICA Asia-Pacific Cooperative Excellence Awards.
The awards have been established to honour outstanding individuals, cooperative organizations, and government ministries/ departments that have made remarkable contributions to the growth of cooperatives and have significantly benefited the cooperative movement.
This year, the awards were presented in two categories: Inspirational Cooperative Leader Award and Enterprising Cooperative Award. The winners were announced at the 16th ICA-AP Regional Assembly on November 8, 2023, in Manila, Philippines.
Enterprising Cooperative Award- Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Limited, India
The Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Limited or ULCCS Limited is a 99-year-old workers' cooperative. It is one of the best diversified primary cooperatives in the world and has proven its mettle by establishing a niche of its own in infrastructure development in India. Acknowledged as the best Labour cooperative society in India by the United Nations, ULCCS has redefined the role that the working class can play in national development while emerging as a global model for the labour cooperative movement. ULCCS is accredited by the Govt. of Kerala and ranked world No.2 by the World Cooperative Monitor in the sectoral rankings, consecutively under the Industry and Utilities Cooperative sector for three years.
ULCCS works towards fostering Economic Empowerment, Social Development and Environmental Sustainability. Acknowledging the new generational shift in the working class, ULCCS has diversified into IT and related sectors and set up various subsidiaries like the UL Cyberpark, UL Technology Solutions, Sargaalaya Arts & Crafts Village, UL Education, UL Agriculture and UL Housing to name a few among many others.
ULCCS Limited has earned various other accolades such as the National Award for the "Best Labour Co-operative Society in India" confered by the National Labour Co-operative Federation of India Ltd, New Delhi in 2013 and the Regional Excellence Award for the Best Co-operative Society 2018, conferred by the National Co-operative Union of Inida and National Co-operative Development Corporation of Inida.
Click here to watch the video
Inspirational Cooperative Leader - Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah, President Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (ANGKASA).
Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Fattah Abdullah is Vice President on the ICA-AP Regional Board and the President of the ASEAN Cooperative Organization (ACO). Previously, he has served as a State Assemblyman. With over 25 years of experience, he has been an advocate for the development of cooperatives as well as the progressing youth movement in Malaysia. His interest in community engagement and concern with low-income group communities landed him an appointed role as a Permanent Member of the National Cost of Living Action Council, NACCOL in 2019. Here, he has represented the cooperative movement in providing sustainable poverty eradication measures and consultative advisory on cost-of-living issues.
Datuk Fattah has earned a multitude of accolades and honours that reflect the profound impact of his work in Malaysia. The awards recognize a career in which he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, and a deep commitment to the well-being of the nation. One of the highest honours bestowed upon him is the "Seri Mahkota Wilayah" or Federal Territory Honorable Degree of the Crown, bearing the title 'Datuk Seri,' conferred by His Majesty the King of Malaysia in 2022. He has been conferred with many other medals of honour like the Pahang State Medal of Outstanding Service, the Pahang State's Medal of Commendable Service, the Federal Territory Excellence Service Medal, and the Pahang State's Medal of Merit Service. He has also received numerous awards and accolades like the Cooperative Entrepreneur Activator Award in 2023, and the Silver Award for Integrity, Governance, and Anti-Corruption in 2023.
Datuk Fattah initiated a lof of community care activities through ANGKASA CoopCare programmes which act as a platform to give aid to the Community, especially marginalized groups, single mothers, orphans, and many more. His enthusiasm and spirit for the cooperative community extends to the international level. He is spearheading the collaboration to establish a Mosque Cooperative Community model to assist Muslim minorities in Cambodia in elevating their standard of living through cooperative entrepreneurship. The model is also being introduced in Nigeira and the Philippines, a commitment he shares in the spirit of the 6th Prinicple of Cooperatives, Cooperation among Cooperatives.
Click here to watch the video
