The ICA welcomed two new members in July: The Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED) from the Philippines as an Associate Member and The Saath Janvikas Multi Purpose Seva Sahkari Mandali Ltd. from India as a temporary Associate Member.
ICOPED is an academic unit of the College of Economics and Management at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) - the national university of the Philippines. It provides a strong focus on the development of cooperatives and social enterprises as viable sustainable enterprises through its academic, research and extension programs. ICOPED has spent decades developing coop leaders through its academic and capacity building programs; advancing and advocating for the support of cooperatives, and building multistaker holder networks to support the growth of the coop movement.
By joining the ICA, ICOPED hopes to build networks with cooperative organizations, enhancing its capacity to deliver impactful research, and to leverage ICA’s global platform to amplify the voice of cooperatives and the cooperative academic sector in the Philippines.
The Saath Janvikas Multi Purpose Seva Sahkari Mandali Ltd. is a cooperative with 30,000 members, that provides training, guidance and financial support for those who want to develop themselves economically through self-employment.
The Saath Janvikas Multi Purpose Seva Sahkari Mandali Ltd. from India will join the ICA as an Associate Member for two years, in order to gain exposure to cooperative development in other countries, exchange ideas, knowledge and and experiences, and strengthen its interaction with government on policy and legislative matters.
The ICA now has 316 member organisations from 106 countries, of which 276 are Full Members and 40 are Associate Members.
