The 10th Coop Colloquium, organized by the ICA-AP Committee on Cooperative Research (CCR), took place on August 23, 2024, on the theme “Harmonizing Cooperative Legal Frameworks: Insights from Indian Cooperative Laws.”
Researchers, legal experts, and participants from 11 countries gathered to engage in insightful discussions on this pressing issue. The colloquium came at a pivotal moment, reflecting on India’s longstanding history in the cooperative movement alongside its evolving legislative landscape.
Opening the session, Prof. Yashvantha Dongre, Chairperson of the CCR and Vice-Chancellor of Chanakya University, underscored the need to align cooperative laws across various regions. Prof. Dongre emphasized the challenges posed by inconsistent legislative frameworks, particularly for cooperatives that operate across multiple states or countries. His remarks set the stage for the detailed discussions that followed.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Sagar Wadkar, Adviser to the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI). Dr. Wadkar’s presentation delved deep into Indian cooperative law, tracing its development from the colonial period to the present. His analysis highlighted key issues such as the differences in state-specific legislations, the impact of national-level reforms like the Ministry of Cooperation, and the challenges in achieving a balance between state and central laws.
Dr. Wadkar’s insights extended beyond India’s borders, offering comparative analyses with global best practices and potential paths for reform to improve the efficiency of cooperative governance.
Reflecting on the day’s discussions, Balu Iyer, Regional Director of ICA-AP, placed the topic within a broader context of global cooperative movements. Mr. Iyer emphasized the importance of legal frameworks in maintaining cooperative principles while calling for flexibility to adapt to different cooperative models.
He further stressed the need for effective implementation of laws, not merely their existence, to safeguard cooperative identity. Mr. Iyer outlined ICA-AP’s ongoing role in fostering international knowledge exchange and its future focus on advocating for harmonized cooperative laws.
The colloquium concluded with a lively Q&A session, where participants from countries such as India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Togo, and the Philippines shared their own experiences. This diverse international participation enriched the discussions, offering varied perspectives on cooperative legislation.
Key takeaways from the event included the need for balanced legislative frameworks that preserve autonomy while ensuring oversight, the importance of cross-border cooperation, and the potential role of technology in improving governance. The necessity of education and capacity building to help cooperative members navigate legal requirements was also highlighted.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Naveen Kumar Singh, Secretary of ICA-AP CCR, thanked the participants and speakers, acknowledging the successful exchange of best practices and knowledge during the event.