In a message, Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav, President of the ICA-AP, highlighted the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC 2025) emphasizing key initiatives like promoting cooperative identity, engaging youth, empowering women, fostering sustainability, leveraging technology, and advocating for cooperative-friendly policies.
Yadav encourages collaboration, cross-border partnerships, and the celebration of cooperatives’ impact globally—Editor
Excerpts:
Dear Cooperators & Members of the ICA-AP,
Greetings and warm wishes for the New Year!
I am reaching out to you with a special message as this year marks the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives (IYC 2025), an extraordinary opportunity to showcase the transformative power of cooperatives in building a just, inclusive, and sustainable world. Therefore, in the spirit of collaboration and unity, I urge all of you to actively celebrate, participate, and cooperate among each other in marking the IYC 2025.
Having witnessed the commemoration of the first UN-IYC in 2012, and its boost to our movement across the region as a result of regional and global cooperation, I feel confident that 2025 shall deliver on its promise to position cooperatives as the most obvious agents of change in building a better world.
I would like to thank you for your continued cooperation with the regional office and your faith in the cooperators who serve the movement through the regional board. Please do allow me to convey my thoughts and aspirations in the form of the following 11 points to guide our collective efforts for celebrating IYC 2025:
1. Promote the Cooperative Identity: Our principles and values make us unique and set us
apart from other forms of enterprises. Let’s organize campaigns and events to raise awareness about our shared cooperative identity, emphasizing its purpose as guidance and practical tools, that create democratic business institutions, that foster community-driven sustainable development and peace at the local level.
2. Showcase Cooperative Journey through Stories and Journeys: While not losing sight of the failures, must now tell stories about how effective cooperatives are in meeting the economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspirations of our communities. Let’s highlight impactful initiatives from cooperatives in our countries to the public and all stakeholders, as well as reflect as a family on areas that need improvement.
3. Engage Youth: Youth engagement is critical for the sustainability of the cooperative movement. Let us prepare targeted programs, training sessions, and leadership opportunities at the local and the regional levels to actively design an enabling environment for youth to take charge NOW!
4. Foster Leadership of Women: Women are a formidable workforce in major cooperative businesses such as agriculture and production in most of the countries. For the sound health of our movement at this crucial juncture in achieving the SDGs, all cooperative laws and by-laws must remove obstacles that prevent/limit women’s participation. We must jointly prepare a long-lasting implementable mechanism at the regional level for the same.
5. Building Bond with Communities: We are member-owned and community-driven. True to Principle 7, let’s organize local events, fairs, and orientation sessions, to share with all the value cooperatives continue to bring to our society and enhance community engagement locally in this international year.
6. Educate and Build Awareness: Let us use IYC 2025 to educate the public, policymakers, and other stakeholders about the cooperative model, its internationally recognized rules and principles, and its multi-fold impact. Let’s jointly prepare awareness programs, not only for the year but through this decade, to build a deeper understanding of cooperatives and their unique contributions.
7. Strengthen Strategic Advocacy: Bearing the tenets of Principle 4, let us actively collaborate with governments to align policies with cooperative principles, ensuring a supportive legal and regulatory framework and helping cooperatives receive what they are legally due. The United Nations has called on governments to establish National Committees composed of diverse stakeholders. Let’s make this happen and actively utilize this platform to drive our work while also preparing a solid basis for our future work with the state.
8. Focus on Sustainability: Cooperatives have been recognized as key players in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Let us exhibit and publicise, empowered with data, how cooperatives have and continue to, reduce poverty and hunger, enhance gender equality, address climate change, build peace, promote responsible consumption, and support sustainable livelihoods, all through the enterprise of common people at the grassroots.
9. Embrace and Own Technology: The universality and equality approach of the internet and technology resonates well with the tenets of cooperation. We must be leaders in embracing and advancing digital platforms to make the business of our members sustainably efficient, amplify outreach and foster global connection.
10. Cross-Border Collaboration: Let us use the opportunity to partner with cooperatives across the Asia-Pacific region, and beyond, to share knowledge, resources, and best practices, and strengthen the cooperative ecosystem through proactively collaborating in C2C.
11. Build a Lasting Legacy: IYC 2025 is a golden opportunity to showcase and promote our work. We must use the year to launch long-term projects and partnerships that ensure the cooperative movement continues to thrive and make a meaningful impact for years to come.
This year offers a unique opportunity to amplify our cooperative voice, demonstrate our collective strength, and push for real change. Together, let us make IYC 2025 a landmark celebration that reaffirms our commitment to ‘Cooperatives Build a Better World!”
I eagerly look forward to learning about your initiatives and ideas as we embark on this remarkable journey together. Please continue sharing them with us at the ICA-AP office. Should you ever feel the need to connect with me directly, do not hesitate to write to me at president@icaap.coop
Wishing you, your family, and colleagues, all a prosperous, impactful, and cooperative year ahead!
Cooperatively yours,
Dr. Chandrapal Singh Yadav
President,
International Cooperative Alliance Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP)
