The 13th ICA-AP Regional Assembly will take place between November 26-30, 2018 in the picturesque capital city of Tehran, Iran, in partnership with the Iranian cooperative movement, headed by the Iran Chamber of Co-operatives (ICC). The theme for this year’s assembly is Cooperatives help economies become more resilient and sustainable.
Cooperatives develop individual participation, can build resilience, and create social capital. The Regional Assembly encompasses the Co-operative Forum and other engaging events organized by the regional sectoral and thematic committees.
For more information on all events please visit www.regionalassembly.coop
The biennial Regional Assembly, represented by all members directly, is the highest authority of the ICA-Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP). The Regional Assembly is a central policy-making and representative body that brings together all members and provides them a platform to discuss multiple issues concerning development and growth of cooperatives as well as the opportunity to network and form bilateral and multilateral alliances for mutual benefit. The ICA-AP Regional Assembly plays a vital role in strengthening the democratic governance process of cooperatives by building consensus on issues and passes the agenda after discussion and to the satisfaction of all members.
Cooperative Forum
Since the year 2000, the Cooperative Forum has been held in conjunction with the regional assembly to take advantage of the presence of a large number of participants from the ICA-AP membership. The Forum brings together stakeholders to assess progress, discuss challenges and arrive at decisions to strengthen cooperative enterprises as models of sustainable development.
The objectives of this year’s Cooperative Forum is to showcase the contribution of cooperatives in helping economies become more resilient and sustainable, review progress and gaps in performance to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), discuss on creating an ‘ecosystem’ with focus on ‘cooperation among cooperatives’ in the region and build consensus for joint action, and discuss and adopt ‘innovation’ in cooperative business for stability and growth.
The Forum will take place on November 28, and will be attended by prominent personalities like Hon. Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Eng. Hamid Kalantari, Deputy Minister of Co-operatives, and Dr. Ali Rebiei, Minister of Co-operatives, Labour and Social Welfare, Iran.
Regional Women’s Forum
The Women’ Forum is organized under the aegis of the ICA-AP Committee on Women. The Women’s Committee works to promote gender integration in cooperatives and encourages the participation of women at all levels in cooperatives, especially at the leadership and decision making levels.
The First Regional Women’s Forum was held in 1998 in Seoul, Korea and since then has been an integral part of every Regional Assembly. The theme for this year’s Women’s Forum is Strengthening Resilience by Empowering Women in Cooperatives, and will take place on November 27.
The objectives of the Forum include understanding the situation of resilience in relation to women’s cooperatives, the issues, challenges and opportunities in the region, sharing information and good practices from ICA-AP, its network of members, and international organisations on strengthening resilience, and formulating ways to assist in the strengthening of resilience of women in cooperatives. Expert speakers from cooperative movements, international agencies, and relevant government bodies are expected to speak at the Forum.
Regional Cooperative Research Conference
The ICA-AP Committee on Cooperative Research started in 2000 and has organised 12 regional research conferences and local seminars till date. The 13th ICA-AP Regional Cooperative Research Conference will be organised on the theme Cooperatives contribute to more sustainable and resilient societies on November 27. The conference comes as an opportunity for researchers, academicians, policy-makers and key stakeholders to discuss and deliberate the need to research-promote-advocate for cooperatives as important contributors to a more sustainable and resilient society.
The conference shall play a crucial role in generating and promoting greater understanding of the cooperative model, building the capacity of the cooperators, and bridging the movement with policymakers and the academic community.
With over 15 papers being presented from across the various geographies of the Asia-Pacific region, the conference will be attended by over 50 participants including key national and international delegations.
Joint Workshop on Youth & Cooperatives in Educational Institutions
The workshop will take place on November 26, and will be themed on Building Resilience & Sustainability through the 5th Cooperative Principle on Education, Training, and information, and the following three areas will be addressed Student Cooperation; Cooperatives in Curriculum; Cooperatives as Safe Spaces for youth. The workshop is expected to attract 30-40 participants from the Regional Assembly and 50 local participants.
Development Meeting & Workshop of Industrial and Service Cooperatives
The Development Meeting & Workshop of Industrial and Service Cooperatives will be themed on Emerging Trends in Work & Ownership structures in Cooperatives and will address the following three areas: Status report on the ongoing research on the subject, Cross-sectoral synergies for resilience and sustainability, and the Role of social and solidarity economies in development. The Meeting is expected to take place on November 27.
