AsiaDHRRA participated in the AgriCOOPh Federation’s 2nd Leaders Congress and 7th Annual General Assembly (AGAM), which was held on April 24-26, 2025, in Cebu City, Philippines. The theme was “Uniting Cooperatives for a Better World: Contributing to Food Security and Climate Resiliency.”
AsiaDHRRA’s Program Manager, Luz Blanco, participated in a Social Inclusivity and Climate Action forum. In the first session on “Building a Resilient Future: Women and Youth Leading the Way,” Ms. Blanco delivered a message on behalf of AsiaDHRRA’s Secretary-General, Ms. Marlene Ramirez. From the message, she briefly highlighted Ms. Ramirez’s first discussion with AgriCOOPh’s former CEO, Mr. Cresente Paez, on the idea of uniting agri-cooperatives under one strong national federation and has blossomed into a dynamic and purpose-driven federation with a clear long-term vision.
She emphasized AsiaDHRRA’s Strategic Action Plan 2021-2025 with thematic blocks on Rural Women and Youth development, which has created projects that build capacities, access to financing, and amplify their voices in governance, including engaging with the public sector in policy development and program delivery. Moreover, AsiaDHRRA’s engagement in the formulation of ASEAN’s 2020-2025 Rural Development Master Plan (RDMP) underlines the women and youth as key sectors and with collective actions with its partner DHRRAs for the support and country-level RDMP implementation.
The second session centered on the importance of agroecology, and Ms. Blanco presented the “Understanding of and Facilitating Co-Creation of Knowledge on Agroecology (AE),” an initiative under the Farmers Organisations Leading Research and Innovation (FO-RI) in coordination with AgriCord and funded by the EU. She conveyed the project’s goals, objectives, building blocks, transition pathways, and principles.
The event was joined by several agri-agencies, farmers’ organizations, agripreneurs, government sectors, and international partners. It also celebrated collective leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable agriculture and cooperative development through member engagement and advanced inclusive, collaborative systems, highlighting a continuous dedication to empowering youth in agriculture.
