BREAKING OUT OF SILOS: A CONVERSATION ON THE FUTURE OF ASSOCIATIONS IN ASIA PACIFIC

Half of humanity lives in Asia Pacific. Fifty-six governments. Tens of thousands of associations spanning every industry, profession, and cause imaginable. And until this year, no dedicated regional platform bringing their leaders together.

That paradox — extraordinary scale, extraordinary fragmentation — sits at the heart of a conversation between two association leaders who have spent their careers trying to change it. Cyril Ritchie, President of the Union of International Associations and a central figure in international civil society for over five decades, joined Prasant Saha, President of the newly launched Asia Pacific Society of Association Executives (APSAE), for a wide-ranging discussion on the APSAE Podcast. What emerged was less an interview and more a masterclass — candid, urgent, and at times deliberately provocative.

Here are five insights from that conversation that every association leader in Asia Pacific should sit with.

Cyril Ritchie does not mince words about what associations must become. His message is direct: organizations that limit themselves to service delivery — however valuable — are not fulfilling their full potential.

‘We don't make a better world only by soup kitchens,’ he says. ‘We have to be there for women's rights, for climate change, for the environment, for refugee aid. These are all issues that associations around the world deal with — and unless we have the freedom to put forward our experience, where associations have grassroots knowledge from their local affiliates, we are not doing our job.’

The implication is clear. Associations that avoid political engagement in the name of neutrality are not staying neutral. They are stepping back from the arena where the most important decisions are made.

It is a line Cyril returns to more than once — and it lands harder each time. The greatest obstacle facing associations today, in his view, is not funding or technology or government hostility. It is the tendency to work only within familiar boundaries.

‘We cannot operate in silos. We have to look for opportunities to make a difference — and that means reaching out to partners, business partners, government partners. We can learn from each other even though very often we don't think that association A has anything to do with association B.’

For APSAE, this is precisely the founding insight. The Founding Summit in Singapore in July 2026 brought together leaders from public transport, agricultural finance, paediatric healthcare, AI, and sanitation — and discovered they were solving identical problems. Adjacent learning — innovation that comes from outside your own sector — only happens when you leave the silo.

One of Cyril's most sobering observations concerns the gap between what governments agree and what they actually do. The international community, he argues, is not short of good decisions. It is short of implementation.

‘There are an enormous number of UN and ILO conventions — almost all of which are excellent, well-written, legally solid. But what happens is that they're not implemented. I've heard when they're taken back to the national level, the Minister of Finance says, 'Well, that's all very good, but we can't afford it.' We can't afford doing the right thing? That's preposterous.’

The role of associations, he insists, is not only to advocate for better policy but to hold governments accountable for the commitments they have already made. Advocacy does not end when a convention is signed. It begins there.

When Prasant asks Cyril what strengths Asia Pacific associations have that are often overlooked, his answer is immediate and unequivocal: competence and outreach.

‘What I am constantly struck by in the association world is the competence of so many associations in Asia Pacific. Many of the countries of that region have been in the forefront of new technologies. I would say the competence of many many associations in Asia Pacific is a vital strength on which many new activities can be built.’

He adds something equally important: the region's community-led culture — from the family level upward — is not just a social characteristic. It is a structural advantage for building associations that genuinely serve their members rather than simply administering them.

And in a pointed observation about the current global moment: ‘There is no longer one region leading any more. Some of those who have led in the past are in the process of demolishing their own leadership.’ The implication — that Asia Pacific has both the opportunity and the responsibility to step into that space — is left for the listener to draw.

The tension between purpose and financial sustainability is one that association executives across Asia Pacific navigate every day. Cyril's response is characteristically direct — and more optimistic than many might expect.

‘The world is a big tent and it has many doors. Getting in through many flaps is entirely possible if imagination is used. Getting out of our silos is so important — seeing new opportunities that other types of associations have invented or recognised.’

His encouragement to partner with business is equally clear — provided the partnership is built on shared values rather than commercial convenience. ‘I don't have any reluctance about encouraging associations to partner with business — on a neutral basis — but in order that everyone will benefit, above all the people that we're intending to help.’

The conversation closes with a commitment that carries real weight. Cyril notes that UIA has held Round Tables across Asia Pacific for many years and expresses a clear desire to deepen that presence through APSAE. Prasant confirms that APSAE will host UIA Round Tables in the region — giving Asia Pacific's association community a direct connection to the world's most comprehensive knowledge base on international organizations.

‘Changing the world requires constant engagement,’ Cyril says in his closing words. ‘Let us commit to that.’

It is, perhaps, the simplest and most complete statement of what both APSAE and UIA exist to do.

Listen to the full conversation on the APSAE Association Insider Podcast at apsae.org/podcasts

The Asia Pacific Society of Association Executives (APSAE) is the region's only professional association dedicated exclusively to association executives. Learn more and become a member at apsae.org.