In her speech at the 10th Asia Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference, which opened in Hanoi on April 18, Thinh said the promotion of economic cooperation and designing of collaboration programmes between member cooperative federations, including Vietnam, is a vivid manifestation of the growing cooperative economy.

However, the ICA-AP is copying with challenges in carrying out the targets set at its 12th Regional Assembly to obtain sustainable development, eliminate poverty, protect the environment, and ensure prosperity for all people by 2030.

Cooperatives are considered one of the important partners to help the ICA-AP realise the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to promote democracy, social connectivity and environmental protection, she added. 

The Vice President urged the ICA-AP to give priority to structural reform to boost cooperation and improve operational efficiency of cooperatives, as well as stimulate renovation and narrow development gaps. 

The alliance should go ahead with regional integration and trade and investment collaboration for the sake of all people, while making use of opportunities from the current cooperation mechanisms in the region such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), she said. 

She also suggested building quality infrastructure and innovative financial mechanisms, and boosting public-private partnership and underlined the need for ICA-AP to support cooperation to increase competitiveness, renovation, and participation in the global value chain, she said. 

The Vice President asked the alliance to take stronger action to implement the initiative on the facilitation of business for cooperatives and startups via establishing cooperatives led by youths and women. 

She called on the ICA-AP to put forth initiatives to fuel economic growth and integration and confirm its global position as a coordinator in multi-layer and multi-lateral economic cooperation. 

The 10th Asia Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference is transpiring in Vietnam for the first time from April 18-21.

Source: vov.vn