ANGKASA Supports Stronger ICA-AP Role In Asia-Pacific Cooperative Development
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- The National Co-operative Movement of Malaysia (ANGKASA) supports efforts to strengthen the involvement of the International Cooperative Alliance Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP) Board in regional committees and cooperative development initiatives to enhance its role in policy decision-making at the Asia-Pacific level.
Its president, Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah, said the support was expressed during the ICA-AP meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, which was chaired by ICA-AP president Dr Chandrapal Singh Yadav to discuss the direction of cooperative development in the Asia-Pacific region.
He said the ICA-AP Board needs to play a more active role in expanding membership outreach in their respective sub-regions, as well as to consider the establishment of smaller membership clusters to strengthen members’ participation in the implementation of cooperative programmes.
Abdul Fattah, who is also ICA-AP vice-president, said the move is in line with efforts to expand the involvement of the cooperative movement towards a more equitable and balanced economic structure through formal and informal cooperation among member cooperatives in Asia-Pacific countries.
“Strategic cooperation among cooperatives at the regional level will not only expand business opportunities, but also strengthen the role of cooperatives as a people-centred economic model capable of generating real change through shared goals,” he said in a statement today.
He said ANGKASA’s role as chair of the ICA-AP Business and Trade Committee will continue to be strengthened to expand regional cooperative economic cooperation.
“Focus will also be given to the development of tourism cooperatives as well as efforts to intensify the marketing of cooperative products in line with the aspirations of Visit Malaysia 2026,” he said.
Abdul Fattah, who is also president of the ASEAN Cooperative Organisation (ACO), said continuous commitment to strengthening cooperative networks is crucial to ensure the cooperative movement remains relevant as a driver of the community’s socio-economic development.
“This focus is in line with ANGKASA’s role as the apex body of the national cooperative movement, which acts as a facilitator in bridging gaps and creating economic participation opportunities to be utilised by 16,342 cooperatives under ANGKASA with a total membership of 7.4 million,” he said.
At the meeting, ANGKASA group chief executive officer and ICA-AP Business and Trade Working Committee chairman Datuk Abdullah Jusoh presented the progress of the committee’s activities, which focus on three main thrusts, namely strategic meetings, participation in trade exhibitions, and capacity-building platforms to enhance market access for cooperative products.
A total of 11 main agenda items were presented, including activity reports and updates on ICA-AP programmes, presentation of financial and membership reports, reports from the ICA-AP Women’s Committee and Youth Committee, updates on international cooperation programmes, including the ICA-EU project, discussions on the ICA-AP Strategic Plan 2026-2030, as well as potential cooperative business collaboration in the Asia-Pacific region.
ICA-AP is the regional cooperative movement body under the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), bringing together 123 apex cooperative organisations from 29 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
-- BERNAMA
