The ICA Council held its first meeting in 2009 with the purpose to act as a forum for dialogue between all parties under the ICA umbrella - the ICA Standing Committees, ICA Board, and the IAAS (International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences) and IFSA (Intrenational Forestry Student Association). At present the ICA Council meets once per year at the time of the ICA General Assembly when there is already the established opportunity for the Standing Committees to inform the General Assembly of their activities and plans.
At the Council meeting it is envisaged that the topics for discussion could include
- Sharing information about current activities and future plans
- Development of joint conference themes
- Identification of possibilities for joint applications for EU funded projects
- Plans for “ICA Week of Conference” type events during which all or some Standing Committees hold their annual meeting along with a general conference
- Representation of shared interests at the European (e.g. EUA) or global levels (e.g. APLU, GCHERA and FAO)
- Joint sponsorship/fundraising campaigns
- Joint dissemination of information and marketing of our respective networks
It is anticipated that the Council will have an advisory role for the ICA Board in assisting the Board in developing its future plans to meet the expectations of our members, and it will also facilitate networking between the ICA and the Standing Committees and, equally important, between the Standing Committees themselves.