The 17th International Co-operative Alliance – Asia and Pacific (ICA-AP) Regional Assembly and 12th Cooperative Forum held from 24 to 28 November 2025 convened close to 450 co-operative leaders, policymakers, researchers, and partners from 22 countries  in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Themed “Cooperatives Build a Better World: Strengthening Resilience, Sustaining Investment, and Smart Communication” under the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) celebration, the gathering was hosted by Sri Lanka’s National Cooperative Council together with the Department of Cooperative Development, SANASA Federation and partner institutions.

Leaders underscored a shared mandate to strengthen co-operative identity, scale impact through enabling policies, unlock capital pathways, embrace digital transformation, and champion sustainable development.

Opening remarks included a welcome note from Mr. G.D. Sarath Weerasiri, the President of the National Council of Cooperatives, Sri Lanka (NCCSL), and Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav, the President of ICA-AP.

Welcome Address by Mr G.D. Sarath Weerasiri, President, National Council of Cooperatives, Sri Lanka

Speakers affirmed Sri Lanka’s strong co-operative foundation, which boasts over 8,000 savings communities, 8.2 million members, and over 3,000 multi-purpose co-operatives, while calling for renewed investment, digital readiness, and systems-level reform.


ICA President Mr Ariel Guarco delivering his congratulatory message

During his congratulatory message, ICA President, Mr Ariel Guarco emphasised that there was a need to "Practice, Promote, Protect" the co-operative identity, coupled with bold investment in capital, policy advocacy, and digital communitications. 

Opening Plenary: Cooperatives as Catalysts for a Better Future moderated by Mr Jeroen Douglas, Director-General, International Cooperative Alliance

At the opening plenary, moderated by Mr Jeroen Douglas, Director-General, ICA, the panellists discussed contributions to sustainable development and strategies to further integrate the co-operative model into mainstream economic and social policies. These include accelerating job creation and enhancing decent work opportunities for youth and women, directly supporting national employment pathways and measurable Sustainable Development Goals.

Keynote speaker Mr Srinivas Tata, a director at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, shared common challenges in Asia and Pacific, such as needing to meet the needs of the rapidly changing demographics and attracting younger workers to co-operatives.

Keynote speaker Mr Srinivas, Director at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific sharing the common challenges

The Asia and the Pacific region are undergoing unprecedented demographic shifts transitioning rapidly from “ageing” to “aged,” and soon to “super‑aged” societies. Today, over three‑quarters of the region has hit “aged” status, and a growing share will be “super‑aged” in the near future.

Urgent questions about social protection, relevant care systems, and inclusive growth have been raised. At the same time, youth unemployment remains higher than overall unemployment, while women’s labour force participation lags due to disproportionate unpaid care burdens. Can co-operatives and mutual organisations step up and step in to address these twin pressures?

One of the key sessions, titled “We Are COOP”, featured Singapore’s Love Empowered Co-operative’s Chairperson Mr Tony Lim’s sharing on how the Empowering Communities Fund (ECF) enabled the co-operative to launch a book under the “Little Steps, Big Dreams” initiative. The initiative supports children, particularly neurodiverse children and their parents through creative writing and story-telling. Participants were impressed by the strong support from stakeholders within the Singapore Co-operative Movement, including the Singapore National Co-operative Federation and the Empowering Communities Fund Committee.

[Left] Tony Lim, Chairperson of Love Empowered and from the Emerging Leaders Programme

The Assembly reinforced the co-operative movement’s ability to tackle social inequality, climate vulnerability, and economic disruption through people-centred enterprise and collective leadership. It also underscored the enduring co-operative values of solidarity, equity, and democratic participation.  

With IYC 2025 as a catalytic platform, Asia-Pacific co-operatives are committed to translating conference insights into concrete programmes that deliver resilience, inclusion, and sustainable growth for communities across the region.

The 18^th ICA-AP Regional Assembly will be held at Beijing China, hosted by All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

By Benjamin Kang, edited by Mary Njo