ANGKASA Represents Malaysia At IYC2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, through Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (ANGKASA), welcomes cooperation and partnership with cooperatives in the Asia Pacific region to ensure the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) celebration, with the theme, 'Cooperatives Build A Better World’ has a significant impact on the growth and progress of cooperatives globally.
ANGKASA, in a statement today, stated that this was expressed by its president Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah when tabling the planning and activities of the cooperative movement in the country at the launch of the Asia Pacific and Japan level IYC2025 celebrations at the United Nations University, in Tokyo yesterday.
Abdul Fattah also emphasised the importance of building regional cooperative networking, especially to deal with the increasingly dynamic economic challenges.
In this context, Abdul Fattah, who is also the International Cooperative Alliance – Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP) vice-president, emphasised the need to strengthen cooperative-to-cooperative (C2C) trade and highlighted the importance of initiatives that foster a conducive ecosystem for trade and investment activities.
Additionally, he presented ANGKASA’s initiative to leverage Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship by positioning cooperatives as a key agenda item at the ASEAN Summit.
“The Malaysian government's support for ANGKASA as the apex body of the cooperative movement in the country by allocating RM1 million to support the ASEAN cooperative programme will be mobilised through the organisation of the ASEAN Cooperative Dialogue (ACD) in May 2025.
"This programme is expected to be the main platform in fostering cooperation between cooperatives that will bring together about 200 participants consisting of representatives from ministries, agencies, cooperatives and apex cooperative bodies from ASEAN countries," he said.
Abdul Fattah also emphasised Malaysia's commitment to IYC2025 by outlining various national initiatives that have been drawn up, including the establishment of the IYC2025 Steering Committee chaired by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Cooperative Development (KUSKOP) in collaboration with the Malaysian Cooperative Commission and the Malaysian Cooperative Institute.
Meanwhile, ICA-AP president Dr Chandrapal Singh Yadav, in his speech, emphasised the importance of close cooperation between cooperatives, government and related ministries to ensure the success of IYC2025.
He called on all member states to form a national coordination mechanism involving the government in strengthening support policies for cooperatives, including in terms of financing, innovation, and legislation.
The IYC2025 was declared by the United Nations (UN) to recognise the role of cooperatives in social and economic development, with the main aim of increasing global awareness of the role of cooperatives in sustainable development, poverty reduction, promotion of social equality and community development.
Abdul Fattah has been in Japan since last Feb 18 leading the Malaysian delegation on an official working visit. Members of the delegation include ANGKASA and ICA Board Member Datuk Kamarudin Ismail and ANGKASA Group chief executive officer Datuk Abdullah Jusoh.
The Malaysian delegation is also scheduled to make a courtesy call on the apex body of the Japanese cooperative movement, the Japan Co-operative Alliance (JCA) and the Japan Workers' Cooperative Union (JWCU), to discuss issues of interest such as the potential to expand networking, as well as marketing network for products and services.
The Malaysian delegation also holds discussions with the Islamic Centre of Japan (ICJ) regarding the setting up of a mosque cooperative.
-- BERNAMA
