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On July 2, cooperatives all around the world will celebrate the 100th International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay). A decade on from the UN International Year of Cooperatives, which showcased the unique contribution of cooperatives to making the world a better place, this year’s #CoopsDay slogan –“Cooperatives Build a Better World”– echoes the theme of the International Year.
“Cooperatives are answering the wake-up call of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who warned that the world is ‘on the edge of an abyss — and moving in the wrong direction’, and exclaimed that ‘to restore trust, and inspire hope, we need cooperation, we need dialogue, we need understanding’. For nearly two centuries, cooperatives have been pulling in this direction. This was amply highlighted at the 33rd World Cooperative Congress, held by the International Cooperative Alliance in December 2021, which focused a spotlight on how their shared identity is moving cooperatives to take action to address the world’s problems” declared Bruno Roelants, Director General of the ICA.
The United Nations invites cooperatives around the world to celebrate how the human-centred business model, inspired by the cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity and the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others, is building a better world.
Operating all around the world, in many different sectors of economy, cooperatives have proven themselves more resilient to crises than the average. They foster economic participation, fight against environmental degradation and climate change, generate good jobs, contribute to food security, keep financial capital within local communities, build ethical value chains, and, by improving people’s material conditions and security, contribute to positive peace.
About the International Day of Cooperatives
Marked by cooperatives worldwide since 1923 and officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the centenary of the ICA in 1995, the International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.
The aim of #CoopsDay is to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote the movement’s ideas of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations through Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) have jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay.
Through #CoopsDay, local, national and global policymakers, civil-society organisations and the public in general can learn about the contribution of cooperatives to a secure future for all.
Learn more about the #CoopsDay 2022.
2022 International Day of Cooperatives: Cooperatives Build a Better World
The International Day of Cooperatives 2022 is being celebrated under the theme, “Cooperatives Build a Better World.” The theme recognizes that the current predominant economic model will not achieve the sustainable development goals. The United Nations Secretary General has repeatedly warned that the world is at an inflection point in history and the choices we make today can either lead to a breakdown of the global order, or a breakthrough for sustainable development.
The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations, is holding an International Day commemorative event on 7 July as part of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) Labs organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The event will focus on the contribution of cooperatives to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It will provide an opportunity for Member States to share good practices and present their national action plans in support of cooperatives to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Countries that have included cooperatives in their VNRs will lead the discussions.
This year’s commemoration also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the International Day of Cooperatives, and the 10th anniversary of the UN International Year of Cooperatives.
Objectives
This event will underscore the contributions of cooperatives to resolving the major problems addressed by the United Nations and to strengthening and extending the partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors. Broad consultations and multi-stakeholder participation are recognized as key conditions for a successful VNR process and critical in ensuring implementation of plans after the VNRs presentation.
Cooperatives represent at least 12% of people on earth who are members of any of the 3 million cooperatives worldwide. They play an important role in addressing the needs of their members and communities and in the process, they contribute towards the implementation of the SDGs. Therefore, it is important for the governments to include cooperatives in the VNRs consultations processes and recognize their effective contribution towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and their role in economic development at national level.
The event aims to facilitate a cross-regional learning of innovative approaches and examples of how inclusive stakeholder engagement in the VNR process can accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the country and regional levels.
Join our event on 7 July from 8am to 9:30am (New York time), Conference Room 11, United Nations Headquarters
Concept Note and Draft Programme
Presentations
Remarks by H.E. Kaoru Magosaki, Minister and Head of Social Section, Permanent Mission of Japan