Malaysia Cooperatives policies and Entrepreneurships shared in Jordan

2 May 2024

By AVV

PENAMPANG: The Minister of Entrepreneurship and Cooperatives (MEDC) Datuk Ewon Benedick shared Malaysian policies and initiatives on cooperatives and entrepreneurship with attendees of the 11th Asia-Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference- APCMC in Jordan, recently.

Ewon who led the Malaysian delegation spoke on the topic based on the theme "Adapting to Changing Environment and Building Resilience", where he emphasised on the initiatives implemented by the Malaysian Government to assist the cooperative movement in adapting to environmental changes in developing resilience and the successes of cooperatives in Malaysia.

He highlighted the government's cooperative-friendly policies and continuous support for the national cooperative movement through the implementation of current policies such as the Malaysian Cooperative Policy (DaKoM 2030), the Malaysian Cooperative Transformation Plan 2021-2025 (TransKoM 2021-2025), and the Cooperative Digitalization Action Plan (DigiKop 2030).

Ewon also called for cooperative-to-cooperative (C-2-C) trade cooperation between countries, guided by the sixth cooperative principle, "cooperation among cooperatives", particularly in addressing the challenges of food security by emphasising the importance of collective action to facilitate trade processes among cooperatives in the Asia Pacific region.

At the same time, the joint declaration of the Ministers of Cooperatives in the Asia Pacific region was supported, acknowledging the important role and contribution of cooperatives to economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, inclusive social development, and environmental sustainability in the Asia Pacific region.

The declaration also recognised the unique identity of cooperatives, which are centered on the interests of members and the community, to empower individuals, communities, and marginalized groups.

The declaration reaffirmed the commitment of cooperatives in the Asia Pacific region to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, particularly in relation to eradicating poverty (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), promoting economic development and decent work (SDG 8), and addressing climate change (SDG 13).

The declaration stated several joint actions, including engaging in dialogue between the government and cooperatives to understand common goals, challenges, and opportunities for cooperation, as well as creating a cooperative-friendly environment for development and strengthening policies to drive the growth of the cooperative movement.

The declaration will consider various proposals put forward by each member state and will be officially signed after the conclusion of this conference.

The 11th Asia-Pacific Cooperative Ministers’ Conference- APCMC which was attended by 29 members of the International Cooperative Alliance – Asia Pacific (ICA – AP) held from 28 to 30 April 2024 was officially closed by the Minister of Agriculture Jordan, His Excellency Khaled Mousa Al Huneifat.

Ewon later met with fellow colleagues and cooperative leaders from Jordan, Fiji, Palestine, and Nepal to discuss common interests, including the potential for expanding the regional market for cooperative products and services and investments through the Malaysian cooperative movement and the regional cooperative movement in the Asia Pacific.

He shared that until 2023, Malaysia recorded a total of 15,809 cooperatives with a membership of 7.2 million people. The total share/fee of the cooperative movement until December 2023 amounted to RM17.47 billion, with total assets of RM161.96 billion and cooperative movement earnings of RM45.5 billion.