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Sustainability is a key principle of the international cooperative movement – from sustainability of local communities to sustainability of our planet, as captured in the internationally-agreed Sustainable Development Goals. In a world of waste and want, the cooperative movement has decided to commemorate the International Day of Cooperatives 2018 under the theme “Sustainable Production and Consumption”.
The International Day is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. This year, cooperatives in all countries of the world celebrated the day on 7 July 2018, reaffirming commitments to this important cause.
On 5 July, UNDESA's Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) celebrated the International Day of Cooperatives (IDC) at a high-level panel discussion, organized in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Argentina and the International Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), held at UN Headquarters in New York. The goal of the event was to discuss how cooperatives achieve sustainable consumption and production and to explore ways in which the UN system and governments can further support cooperatives as development actors and as key partners in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The panel was chaired by Mr. Vinicius Pinheiro, Special Representative of the International Labour Office (ILO) at the UN; and panelists included Daniela Bas, Director of UNDESA DISD, H.E. Sukhbold Sukhee, Permanent Representative of Mongolia; H.E. Alejandro Verdier, Deputy Permanent Representative of Argentina; Ms Carla Mucavi, director of the FAO office in New York; Ms Chiara Faenza, director for Sustainability and Innovations at Coop Italia; and Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance.
In her remarks, Daniela Bas noted that the issue of sustainability is in the very DNA of cooperatives and that “from sustainability of local communities to sustainability of our planet, Cooperatives have two centuries’ experience building sustainable and resilient societies.” The event was attended by many diplomats and civil society and called on Member States to enact policies that promote the development of cooperatives and for the UN system to continue promoting the cooperative model of doing business and providing technical assistance.
Following the welcoming remarks, a panel of speakers gave examples of how cooperatives make real progress towards the SDGs.
To kick off the panel, Carla Mucavi, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Liaison Office in New York, described how cooperatives improve food systems, food security and strong rural communities. Chiara Faenza, Responsible for Sustainability and Values Innovation in the Quality Department of Coop Italia, detailed how Coop Italia – Italy’s largest retailer – makes significant contributions to SDG 12 (sustainable consumption and production). John Torres, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations for NCBA CLUSA, shared how the organization is building an inclusive economy around the world through its 39 development projects in 20 countries.
Gabriela Buffa, the Youth Committee Representative of Cooperar in Argentina, presented the case of the Saladillo Mill, a worker cooperative that was established when the former workers of a bankrupt mill bought the company and turned it into a cooperative to save their jobs. Georgia Papoutsi, Policy Coordinator for the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), discussed how the ICA is engaged in a partnership with the European Union to support cooperatives in development. His Excellency Mr. Sukhbold Sukhee, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the UN, closed the panel by emphasizing the importance of governments providing enabling legal frameworks to help cooperatives access resources and thrive. Legal structures should be conducive to the creation and growth of cooperatives. The Mongolian Mission has been a long-time champion and advocate of the cooperative movement, and spearheaded the action plan for cooperatives recently approved by the UN.
More related information from UN News: International Day of Cooperatives sets stage for long-standing production and consumption