2nd ASIA PACIFIC COOPERATIVE REGISTRARS’ FORUM
Creating Enabling Legal Framework and Policies to Promote
Sustainable Development of Cooperatives in the 21st Century
Reverie Sai Gon Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
April 16 – 19, 2019
Summary Report
ICA Asia and Pacific in partnership with the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) and the Institute for Organic Agricultural Economics organized the 2nd Asia Pacific Cooperative Registrars’ Forum on Creating Enabling Legal Framework and Policies to Promote Sustainable Development of Cooperatives in the 21stCentury. The Forum was co-funded by the ICA-EU Partnership on Cooperatives in Development (#Coops4Dev). The Forum brought together registrars and regulators concerned with the promotion and development cooperatives nationally; leaders and managers of cooperatives from the Asia-Pacific region; and other stakeholders to discuss matters pertaining to legislation on cooperatives, as well as policies and regulations that complement existing laws.
The Forum was organized to focus on the 21st Century challenges relating to food security, nature of work and employment, financial inclusion, economic growth, gender equality & equity, climate change, and freedom of association. The rapid economic and social changes as well as crises during the last decade have prompted the need to think beyond ‘business as usual.’ While cooperatives have shown their resilience, there is need to reinvent, remodel and reorganize to stay relevant to members and society at large. In order to do this, there is need for conducive and enabling legal and policy frameworks to increase the ease with which cooperative business is done in Asia-Pacific. While serving as a platform of exchange on strategic issues, the Forum also aimed to build consensus for collaboration among the stakeholders.
The Opening Ceremony was graced by H.E. Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue, Member of the Political Bureau & Vice Prime Minister of Vietnam; Mr. Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment; Mr. Le Thanh, Director of the Institute for Organic Agricultural Economic; Mr. Le Minh Hoan, Secretary of the Party Committee, Dong Thap Province; Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Bao, President VCA; Mr. Li Chunsheng, President ICA-AP; and Mr. Bruno Roelants, Director General ICA. The Forum was attended by 319 delegates (63 women and 256 men) from 22 countries including Vietnam and included government representatives from Bhutan, Fiji, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, and Vietnam.
H.E. Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue in his speech acknowledged the role of cooperatives in implementing Vietnam’s national strategy on rural development and sustainability and its contributions to employment generation, poverty reduction, and environment protection. He stressed on the need for cooperatives to adapt and evolve with the times and called on ICA to play a greater role in promoting exchange of information, facilitating the creation of enabling law and policy, and advancing strong economic relations through trade and technology. Mr. Bruno Roelants, in his keynote address touched on the importance being given by ICA to data, research, statistics and legislation as part of its current strategy.
The Forum featured presentations on the mid-term results from the #coops4dev funded regional research exercises on legal framework analyses from South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, and the findings from the thematic studies on Exploring Work and Ownership in Cooperatives in Asia Pacific (by CICOPA) and the Study on Autonomy and Independence of Cooperatives in India (by ALC India). The three technical sessions and one Panel Discussion showcased the wide range of work being carried out to promote inclusive cooperative societies, build sustainable food systems, and increase employment and entrepreneurship through co-operatives.
The Forum “resolved” to support and take forward the ILO project on coop statistics; enhance the work of cooperatives towards the SDGs; and strive to create progressive and enabling laws and policies that would facilitate growth of cooperatives while safeguarding the autonomous and independent character of cooperatives. The full text of the resolution can be found here with guidelines to submit comments and reservations.
