The biennial Regional Assembly (RA), represented by all members directly, is the highest authority of the ICA-AP. The RA is a central policy making and representative body that brings together all members and provides them a platform to discuss multiple issues concerning development and growth of co-operatives as well as the opportunity to network and form bilateral and multilateral alliances for mutual benefit. The RA plays a vital role in strengthening the democratic governance process of co-operatives by building consensus on issues and passes the agenda after discussion and to the satisfaction of all members.
The 13th ICA-AP Regional Assembly will take place from November 26 to 30, 2018 in Tehran, in partnership with the Iranian co-operative movement, headed by the Iran Chamber of Co-operatives (ICC). The theme for this year’s RA is, Co-operatives help economies become more resilient and sustainable. According to the EU, resilience is “the ability of an individual, a household, a community, a country or a region to withstand, to adapt, and to quickly recover from stresses and shocks” such as violence, conflict, drought and other natural disasters without compromising long-term development.” Co-operatives develop individual participation, build resilience, and create social capital. The RA includes the Co-operative Forum and other engaging events organized by the regional sectoral and thematic committees.
Cooperative Forum
Since 2000, the Cooperative Forum has been held in conjunction with the RA to take advantage of the presence of a large number of participants from the ICA-AP membership. The Forum brings together stakeholders to assess progress, discuss challenges and arrive at decisions to strengthen co-operative enterprises as models of sustainable development. The objectives of this year’s Cooperative Forum is to showcase the contribution of co-operatives in helping economies become more resilient and sustainable, review progress and gaps in performance to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), discuss creating an ‘ecosystem’ with focus on ‘cooperation among co-operatives,’ and adopt ‘innovation’ in cooperative business for stability and growth. The Forum will take place on November 28 and will be attended by prominent personalities like Hon. Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Mr. MieczyslawGrodzki, President, National Cooperative Council, Poland, and Dr. Mohammad Shariatmadari, Minister of Co-operatives, Labor and Social Welfare, Iran.
Regional Women’s Forum
The Women’ Forum is organized under the aegis of the ICA-AP Committee on Women. The Women’s Committee works to promote gender integration in co-operatives and encourages the participation of women at all levels in co-operatives, especially at the leadership and decision-making levels. The First Regional Women’s Forum was held in 1998 in Seoul, Korea and since then has been an integral part of every RA. The theme for this year’s Women’s Forum is Strengthening Resilience by Empowering Women in Co-operatives, and will take place on November 27. The objectives of the Forum include understanding the situation of resilience in relation to women’s co-operatives, the issues, challenges and opportunities in the region, sharing information and good practices from ICA-AP, its network of members, and international organisations on strengthening resilience, and formulating ways to assist in the strengthening of resilience of women in co-operatives. Expert speakers from co-operative movements, international agencies, and government bodies are expected to speak at the Forum.
Regional Co-operative Research Conference
The ICA-AP Committee on Co-operative Research started in 2000 and has organised 12 regional research conferences and local seminars till date. The 13th ICA-AP Regional Co-operative Research Conference will be organised on the theme, Co-operatives contribute to more sustainable and resilient societies on November 27. The conference comes as an opportunity for researchers, academicians, policy makers and key stakeholders to discuss and deliberate the need to research-promote-advocate for co-operatives as important contributors to a more sustainable and resilient society. The conference will play a crucial role in generating and promoting greater understanding of the co- operative model, building capacity of the co-operators, and bridging the movement with policy makers and the academic community. The conference will be attended by over 50 participants including key national and international delegations and will see presentation of 15 papers from across the Asia-Pacific region.
Joint Workshop on Youth & Co-operatives in Educational Institutions
The workshop will take place on November 26 on the theme, Building Resilience and Sustainability through the 5th Co-operative Principle on Education, Training and information. The workshop is expected to attract 100 national and international participants and discuss issues around Student Cooperation; Co-operatives in Curriculum; and Co-operatives as Safe Spaces for youth.
Development Meeting & Workshop of Industrial and Service Co-operatives
The Development Meeting and Workshop of Industrial and Service Co-operatives themed on, Emerging Trends in Work & Ownership structures in Co-operatives will address the following three areas: Status report on the ongoing research on the subject, Cross-sectoral synergies for resilience and sustainability, and the Role of social and solidarity economies in development. The meeting will take place on November 27.
