Minutes of the Meeting

AGENDA ADOPTED

Minutes:

The Meeting began as scheduled on January 9, 2014 at Noon time (IST) with help from Dr. Sukesh Zamwar, Chairperson as he sent the committee the code for the Go to Meeting Channel. Since no Member had joined the meeting until 12:15 PM (IST) and that only the Board members and Secretary joined the meeting, the meeting was termed a ‘Board Meeting’.

Agenda 1:  Dr. Sukesh Zamwar (Chairperson- ICYC and the Meeting) welcomed those present and expressed his desire to get active with the works of the Committee. He talked very briefly about the recent developments on the youth movement and the push it received from the co-operative Alliance through the Youth meeting in Cape Town. He added that the ICYC has immense potential to reflect the said push to the Asia Pacific case. Mr. P. Santosh Kumar, Secretary gave introductory remarks and laid down the already circulated Agenda and threw light on how many youth representatives participated in the Youth Network Meeting in Cape Town and that it was a matter to congratulate members.

Agenda 2:         Mr. Ahsan Ali Thakur (Vice Chairperson) took over during the second Agenda and talked in detail about the Cape Town meeting. He began by saying the Ms. Sifa, Regional Director , ICA Africa was the guest speaker at the Network meet and laid out the activities of Youth in the African region. He added that Mr. Jose Antonio Chavez chaired the meeting in Cape Town and that he was the outgoing Youth Representative of the ICA Board. He added that the ICA Africa is trying to form a youth committee of their own and that the ICYC has extended support to them in the same. He further mentioned that Dr. Sukesh Zamwar put the Asia-Pacific Youth Committee’s report to the audiences and the other speakers were from Africa and Latin America. There was also an informal meeting held where Dr. Sukesh Zamwar, Ahsan Ali Thakur and youth representatives from Zululand and Kenya on the aforementioned subject.

At this time, other members of the ICYC joined the meeting namely, Ms. Indana Saramita, Mr. Babak Khoshnevisan, Mr. M.A.Khan and Ms. Noor Shafeeza.

Dr. Sukesh Zamwar added that the Buldana Urban Credit Co-operative Societies Ltd was providing a hand holding role for the credit movement in Africa, especially that of the youth. He further added that the Global youth Network has three representatives from Asia and Pacific.

Agenda 3:         Mr. Udaya L. Prabath (Vice Chairperson ICYC) introduced the members to the World Youth Conference scheduled to be held in May 2014 in Sri Lanka and that the ICYC has received an official invitation to attend the same. He voiced the collective desire to have a preparatory meeting with the organisers of the conference to include the speeches of the ICYC Chair as well as Ms. Anna Gabriella, the Global youth Representative of the ICA at the conference to educate the youth on the co-operative difference and option. All agreed to the proposal.

Agenda 4:         Mr. Babak Khoshnevisan highlighted that the youth Website www.youth-asiapacific.coop looked good. The co-operative marquee has to be included with member’s profile. Ms. Indana Saramita also mentioned that the effort was worthwhile and should continue to update the website. Mr. M.A.Khan offered to part take in activities of maintaining the website along with Mr. Babak K and that various cooperative brands across the globe should be able to advertise on the website. The website and other publication will be organised in order to help Dr. Sukesh Zamwar during his visit to Beijing, China in February 2014 for the ICA Asia and Pacific Board Meeting.

Agenda 5:         Dr. Sukesh Zamwar mentioned that he will take up the budgeting issue of the ICYC at the ICA AP Board meeting to seek funds for the committee and float the ideas mooted in the committee to all board members. He said that International trade among co-operatives must be fostered by youth and that the youth website is a good place to receive and (non-commercially) solve various trade queries. He also said that co-operatives enjoyed tax benefits in this exercise and this must be tapped in various countries. He wished to create a database on co-operative trade.

Mr. A.A. Thakur added that there could be a an International editorial board for the e-magazine of the youth Committee that is titled ‘ Young and Co-operating’ and that he is in talks with a UK Based co-operative publishing house for further collaboration.

Mr. Babak Khoshnevisan added that he wishes for a youth seminar in Tehran in six months that could serve as a good opportunity for the youth to understand the co-operative movement in the middle east. The committee decided on meeting at the 11^th Regional Assembly of the ICA AP in Indonesia later in 2014 along with sending a team to Iran for the youth seminar to be organised there.