The 16th Annual Plenary Meeting of the ICA--AP Committee on Youth Cooperation (ICYC) was held in hybrid format on 7 November 2023. Mr. Shree Padmanabhan, Secretary of ICYC, delivered the welcome message and set the agenda for the meeting.
Mr. Alireza Banaeifar, Chairperson, welcomed the members and guests to the meeting and extended his greetings to Ms. Ana Aguirre, President of the ICA Youth Committee, and Dr. Yashavantha Dongre, Co-Secretary, ICA-AP Committee on Educational Institution (ICEI), and Assistant Secretary, Vergel Hilario of the Cooperative Development Authority of the Philippines. In his speech, Mr. Banaeifar presented a comprehensive report from 2019 to 2023 which highlighted the success of various programs, including the Asia-Pacific Youth Summit, Coopathon, collaborations with different thematic committees of the ICA-AP, and the Go Green Campaign (GGC), the globally-known and recognized activity of the ICYC.
The pandemic was not a hindrance for the youth to continue advocating the GGC. In fact, in 2020, over 150 youth from across the Asia and Pacific region planted altogether 17,000 various tree saplings. Celebrating its 5th year in 2023, GGC was conducted during the Asia Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit 4.0 in Sabah, Malaysia.
Atty. Dulce Bustamante, Vice Chairperson, provided an update on the ICYC Regional Youth Workshop, which took place from 3-5 November 2023, at the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo, Rizal. She focused mainly on the solutions for problem statements identified by the participants based on case studies, extracted and modified by Mr. Anurag Dang, Secretary of the NCUI Youth Committee.
A pivotal moment during the meeting was the election of office bearers. Candidates gave their presentation on their statement of interests for the position of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. Ms. Gelizabeth Cabuhat-Generale from 1CISP Life and General Insurance was elected as Vice-Chairperson, and Atty. Dulce Bustamante from Union of Legitimate Service Contracting Cooperatives (ULSCC) as the Chairperson. The election results were declared and signed by the Election Committee.
The meeting was concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Ariel Guarco, ICA President; Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, ICA-AP President; and Mr. Bhima Subramaniyam, ICBA President. Their insights underscored the significance of the cooperative movement and the crucial role young leaders play in shaping its future.
The venue for next annual meeting will be decided during the next all-members meeting.
