PH to host major cooperative summit after 20 years

MANILA, Philippines – The International Cooperative Alliance – Asia-Pacific (ICA-AP) is set to convene its 16th Regional Assembly from November 8-10 in Quezon City, the organization announced Tuesday.

Hosted by the Philippines Cooperative Affiliates (PCA), this marks a significant occasion for the Philippines Cooperative Movement, as they welcome delegates back to the country for the first time in two decades since the Cebu City assembly in 2003.

The assembly will see participation from over 600 delegates representing national cooperative federations across 33 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year’s assembly, which also includes the 11th Cooperative Forum and related events, is themed “Cooperatives: Our Common Agenda.” Attendees will engage in discussions about leveraging cooperative enterprises in sectors such as agriculture, finance, housing, and retail to address common challenges.

Highlighting the economic impact of cooperatives, the assembly will review the total turnover of around $2.171 billion reported by the world’s top 300 cooperatives, according to 2020 data.

Since its establishment in 1960 and now based in New Delhi, India, the ICA-AP has been instrumental in advocating for cooperative values, facilitating networking, and influencing policy at the regional level.

In the Philippines alone, the cooperative sector boasts 20,105 registered cooperatives with combined assets of approximately $11 billion, serving 12.1 million members, employing 334,000 individuals, and reporting a business volume of about $9.22 billion in the previous year.

The assembly aims to establish a unified approach to further advance the cooperative movement within the Asia-Pacific region.