General Assembly (GA)

The General Assembly, Recalling the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995, and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, entitled “World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world”, held in Geneva from 26 June to 1 July 2000,

Reaffirming that the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development 1 and the further initiatives for social development adopted by the General Assembly at its twentyfourth special session,2 as well as a continued global dialogue on social development issues, constitute the basic framework for the promotion of social development for all at the national and international…

The report contains a review of the role of cooperatives in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The contributions made by cooperatives to universal health coverage are given special attention, as the Assembly will hold a high-level meeting on the theme “Universal health coverage: moving together to build a healthier world ” in 2019. The role of cooperatives in promoting financial inclusion is also highlighted. The report includes an analysis of emerging issues and strategies for strengthening cooperatives in the light of the key challenges that they face in their pursuit of sustainable development for all, and it concludes with policy recommendations for the further advancement of cooperatives.

The report focuses on recent family trends and initiatives towards the implementation of the objectives of the International Year of the Family and its follow-up processes by Member States, United Nations entities and civil society

The report contains an examination of the current state of rural poverty and the gaps and challenges to eradicating it, especially in developing countries, as well as recommendations for overcoming the numerous gaps and challenges.