PASAY CITY—By mobilizing its climate resilience initiatives and inviting a coalesce of leaders from multifaceted fields of expertise, CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative’s 52nd General Assembly covered the theme, “A Climate Insurance Year 1: Let’s Connect, Lead, Insure, Motivate, Build, and Sustain! ”served as a hub of knowledge and capacity-building for its fellow cooperator-owners at the Manila Marriott Hotel, Pasay City, on April 25, 2024. 

Cooperative learning has long been part of CLIMBS mission and vision in serving its member cooperatives throughout the years. With the Cooperative College of the Philippines also known as the Co-op College PH, upholds the values and principles of the cooperative identity by solidifying a network of local and international partnerships to bolster its educational platforms in partnership with the National Federation of Cooperative Primaries in the Philippines (NaFeCOOP) as its sole training provider. 

With the support of the Insuresilience Solutions Fund (ISF) educational forum started with the first plenary with the theme “CLIMBS Building Climate Resilience Through Cooperative Action,” which was opened by the Principal of Cooperative College of the Philippines and CLIMBS Vice President for Admin & Corporate Planning, Ms. Donna C. Dizon, who served as a cerebral force garnering sustainable practices and bolstering climate resilience under her leadership in the Coop College PH.

Among the innovators and pioneers from different fields of expertise, Mr. Angus Kirk, the CEO of Global Parametrics, welcomed the attendees with a message at the start of the forum. Alongside Mr. Alex Dunkel, the Senior Project Coordinator representative by Ms. Melissa Alado, the Country Director, Cooperative Development Program Philippines of the Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), Ms. Alison Longden, the Director of Learning and Teaching from the Cooperative College UK, Mr. Elwyn James Leyte, the Senior Research Associate of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and lastly, Ms. Maria Iborra, the Co-Founder and CEO of the IBISA Network, one of CLIMBS’ prominent global partners including Mr. Albert G. Mateo, Jr. the clinical professor for Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the head of the School of Executive Education and Lifelong Learning (SEELL) .

With CLIMBS following the path to being the pioneer of climate insurance this year, the Coop College follows the route of catapulting discussions and thought-provoking sessions centered around climate action as it relates to the cooperative’s contribution to the U.N.’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. 

The second plenary was also graced with distinguished speakers and guests, all coming to share their expertise with the theme, “United We Act: Synergistic Solutions From Diverse Climate Change Champions,” unifying different sectors of society to address the common issue we are facing that could potentially impact future generations. The plenary session takes note of how we are able to take collective action and gather our platforms, advocacies, and influence through integrating coop learning into real-world situations such as the catastrophic adversities in our local communities.

The session started off with Mr. Emil Francis De Quiros, the Economic Growth Specialist of USAID-OEDG followed by Mr. Israel Dela Cruz, the department manager III in the Business Development and Marketing Department from Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC). Which was shortly followed by Ms. Ana Liza Solis the OIC, Climatology and Agrometeoroloy Division of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA), and Ms. Meg Anne Santos, the Sustainability Lead from Nestle Philippines Inc. of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Agriculture Committee. 

Thus, Mr. Balasubramanian “Balu” Iyer, the Asia/Pacific Regional Director of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Ms. Sarah Alldred, Head of International Partnerships of the Global Cooperative College Network, and Mr. Neil Calvert, the CEO and Principal of the Cooperative College UK, also imparted their messages of support during the educational forum. 

 To recapitulate the CLIMBS 52nd Annual General Assembly, the educational forum weaves the tapestry of unity through co-op education, sustainability, and collaboration while shedding light on the role of cooperatives in the community and how it can shape the policy-making bodies. Furthermore, CLIMBS, together with the Cooperative College of the Philippines, continues to create a lasting effect as a catalyst for sustainable development in the lives of its cooperator-owners.