The ICA-AP Committee on Women organised the 12th Asia-Pacific Regional Women’s Forum on 7 November 2023 in Manila, the Philippines. The theme of the forum was ‘Women Cooperators in the Future’ and was attended by 40 participants.
On 19 September 2023, the Committee celebrated its 25th anniversary under the theme, ‘Gender Equality for a Brighter Future’ with the participation of 170 delegates (both onsite and online). Through thematic presentations and members’ views, the outcome was that while the committee is on track in promoting gender equality in cooperatives, the road for full gender equality is long and many more things are needed to be done and considered with the changing times. The 12th Asia-Pacific Regional Women’s Forum marked the beginning of a new series of discussions on what lies ahead for women cooperators in the region.
The Committee Chairperson Ms. Chitose Arai welcomed the guests of honour – Mr. Ariel Guarco, ICA President and Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, ICA-AP President, Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, ICA-AP Regional Director and distinguished participants of the forum. She presented an overview of the forum theme following which a special video was played capturing the 25 year long journey of the Committee.
Mr. Ariel Guarco, in his address recognised the four pillars of the Committee’s core work: economic empowerment; social empowerment; training, education & knowledge exchange; and solidarity. He noted that solidary is the most relevant of all the four pillars as it is the one that frames women’s struggle for a more equitable world within a broader doctrine, that considers the human being as the main protagonist of economic relations and allows his/her development together with others, without leaving anyone behind.
Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, in his address, noted that the ICA-AP Women’s Committee plays a very important role in giving a broad perspective at Asia-Pacific level on what needs to be done to promote gender equality in cooperatives. He added, we are living in the 21st century and that the world is fast changing. We need to adapt and grow faster than we realise and this change will come only from within. We need to include everyone and be as involved as possible to make our businesses grow and change our lives for the better.
The Committee has representation of women cooperators from 14 countries - Australia, China, India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Vietnam. There are wide range of issues that are unique to each country and cooperative sector to which our members belong. However, some subjects are common and cut across sectors and countries like –
- Women’s participation in the cooperative labour force
- Education and skills for women cooperators in the future
- Women’s leadership in cooperatives
There were three presentations by guest speakers and the forum session was moderated by Ms. Evangeline Lopez, Payment Services Group Head and Platform Manager, KAYA Payment Platform, NATCCO.
Ms. Priti Patel, Vice-Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women and Vice Chairperson, Gujarat Mahila Credit Cooperative, India presented an overview of evolving industries/markets exploring new business opportunities for women in cooperatives. She said that the industries and markets constantly evolve due to technological advancements, shifts in consumer preferences, economic developments and societal changes. Understanding these shifts is crucial for women and cooperative organizations which seek to stay competitive, navigate emerging trends, and harness the potential of evolving industries and markets. She shared some of the new areas which offer opportunities for growth and adaptation like Artificial Intelligence, fintech, electric vehicles, and e-commerce. She also presented useful examples of new kinds of cooperative businesses that urban women can take up such as cloud kitchen cooperative, clean care cooperative (offices and residences), delivery service cooperative, pet care cooperative and online learning cooperative.
Ms. Juhee Lee, Team Lead, International Relations, iCOOP, South Korea presented on the education and skills of women cooperators with future needs. Ms. Lee provided a broad overview of the cooperative landscape in South Korea. Cooperatives in South Korea are in many sectors such as wholesale and retail, education, agriculture and forestry, manufacturing, arts and sports, health and social welfare, among others. She noted that in consumer cooperative sector, majority of the members are women. About 3.3 million people in South Korea use consumer cooperative products, which is about 6.5% of the population. A family member, often a woman, usually becomes a member of consumer cooperative. Consumer cooperatives can help members grow by educating and empowering members. Ms. Lee presented examples of new areas where activities are being conducted by iCOOP, keeping pace with the evolving societal needs and aspirations. For example, focus is being given on lifecare, health and wellness and interesting activities are organised such as vegan days, barefoot walks, health circles so that members can feel more involved, and identify new areas for participation and growth. She also gave examples of climate-action activities such as no-plastic campaigns where women are getting involved by an increasing number. She underlined that these new areas are where human resource development needs to focus, and education and skills of women need to be enhanced. As these new areas will be more prominent in the future, they offer huge scope for women in the cooperative sector.
Ms. Lecira V. Juarez, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Associations Center for Training and Research in Rural and Agricultural Banking (APRACA-CENTRAB), the Philippines presented on Underlining the importance and challenges of women in cooperative leadership. Ms. Juarez presented an insight into her own leadership journey in the cooperative sector. She noted that she became a member of a cooperative at 18 in 1983 and became the first lady director of a primary cooperative at 22. She was the first woman BOD Chairperson of MASS SPECC and was also the first woman BOD Chairperson of NATCCO. At the age of 40, she was the youngest Chairperson of Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in the Philippines. She highlighted that it was never easy for her. She noted that if a woman is young, single, and vulnerable, the journey automatically becomes tough and challenging for her. She added that biases and stereotypes will always remain against women. However, what always stands out is their knowledge on cooperatives. She underlined the importance of learning deep and wide for women in the cooperative sector. She also highlighted that there are several policies and laws in favor of women in the Philippines and in the cooperative sector. It is important for women to make themselves aware of these policies and laws, and for cooperatives to follow them. She noted that women when they assume leadership in cooperatives, bring on board not only their knowledge and experience but also their heart and commitment to cooperatives.
In the open discussion, the participants appreciated the presentations made by speakers and new areas covered by them. Most of the participants enquired about how to involve youth, in particular young women, in the cooperative sector. The speakers unanimously responded that to attract more youth in the cooperative sector, it is important to undertake new and innovative activities that are topical and relevant for youth. It is important to educate young people through formal and informal channels about the advantage of cooperative business over others and show them the possibilities that cooperatives can venture into any industry or market.
Ms. Arai thanked the guests of honour and guest speakers for their rich and insightful addresses in the forum. She noted that the presentations gave a new perspective to the audience that will be very helpful in the future. She thanked the moderator and presented a token of appreciation on behalf of the Committee to the moderator and guest speakers.
