Perspectives from the Asia-Pacific Region
Balasubramanian Iyer, Regional Director, ICA-AP
The 33rd ICA World Cooperative Congress in December 2021 with the theme, Deepening the Cooperative Identity, will celebrate and deepen the understanding of the Statement on the Cooperative Identity (SCI) and the profound social and economic impact of cooperatives worldwide. The 33rd Congress comes both at a time of celebration and crisis. While we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the ICA and the 25th anniversary of the SCI; we also battle the COVID-19 pandemic, face the impact of climate change, confront widening income and wealth inequality, and explore questions about the future of work.
The ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity provides a common definition of cooperatives, a specific commitment to cooperative and ethical values, and clarity on the operational principles that differentiate us from other forms of businesses. The Cooperative Identity and values bring life in the day-to-day operations of a cooperative enterprise. They are the guidelines through which cooperators strive to operate and develop their cooperatives. The principles are ‘living’ as they are specifically intended to be kept up to date over time as societies change. The 2015 Guidance Notes to the Cooperative Principles provides the latest guidance on the application of the principles to the governance and operation of cooperatives. They guide those who have the task of registering, regulating, or supervising cooperatives in the local, national, and regional economies of the world.
In August 1997, the ICA-AP Regional Office organised a special workshop on the ICA Statement of Cooperative Identity: From Theory to Practice to discuss the extent to which cooperatives in Asia and Pacific had put the cooperative principles into practice, and what progress or the lack thereof had been achieved as a result.
The ICA Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP) Regional Office will carry perspectives from eminent cooperators in the region and also organize a series of online consultations with members (before the 33rd Congress) to reflect on how the SCI guides day-to-day operations (practical challenges and strategies to overcome them); sets cooperatives (membership and value-based) apart from other business enterprises; fosters member interest and responsibilities; enhances the effective ‘cooperativeness’ of their organisations; and helps relationships with government and stakeholders. The perspectives will feed into the discussions to deepen the Cooperative Identity by examining its values, strengthening its actions, committing to its principles, and living its achievements.
We are delighted to have Ms. Om Devi Malla, ICA Global Board member and member of the ICA Board Identity Committee and Prof. Akira Kurimoto, Chair of ICA-AP Research Committee and member ICA Committee on Cooperative Research (CCR) to advise and guide us during the online consultations.
In this issue, we present the perspective of two eminent researchers from the region. Professor Kurimoto draws upon his experience as a member of the ICA Principles Committee and his observations from the Asia-Pacific region. Garry Cronan, Cooperative Strategist and Cooperative Business Researcher who earlier served as ICA Director of Communications and founder of ICA’s Global 300 project looks at how the cooperative identity has been interpreted by large cooperative businesses over the period since the adoption of ICA principles in Manchester in 1995.
