Cooperatives at the Heart of Social Progress: Celebrating the 2025 International Day of Cooperatives at the United Nations

8 July 2025 – United Nations Headquarters, New York: The United Nations commemorated the 2025 International Day of Cooperatives with a high-level celebration at its New York Headquarters, recognizing the pivotal role of cooperatives in building more inclusive, democratic, and sustainable societies. Held during the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the event convened global leaders under the theme: “Driving Inclusive And Sustainable Solutions For A Better World”.

Organized by UN DESA and the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in collaboration with the United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) and the NYC Department of Small Business Services, the event brought together policymakers, cooperative leaders, and community champions to showcase how cooperatives deliver on the 2030 Agenda and serve as vehicles of resilience and progress. The opening segment was moderated by the Chair of COPAC and featured high-level statements from:

• Mr. Charles Katoanga, Director of UN DESA’s Division for Inclusive Social Development, who called cooperatives “people-centred, democratic organizations” that embody the vision of the Copenhagen Declaration and offer tangible solutions for equity, participation, and human dignity.
• H.E. Ankhbayar Nyamdorj, Permanent Representative of Mongolia, who highlighted Asia-Pacific’s dynamic cooperative landscape and Mongolia’s national initiatives, including a multibillion loan programme to strengthen rural cooperatives.
• H.E. Ekitela Lokaale, Permanent Representative of Kenya (represented by Deputy Permanent Representative Jabesh Morani), who emphasized the role of cooperatives in Kenya’s economy—contributing 45% of the national GDP—and called for a stronger global enabling environment.
• Ms. Dynishal Gross, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services, who showcased New York City’s public investment in cooperatives, noting that the city now hosts the largest number of worker cooperatives in the United States thanks to the Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative.

The event included two thematic panels. The first highlighted how financial cooperatives are embedding impact across climate resilience, community inclusion, and member empowerment—from Vancouver’s Vancity to Ireland’s credit union networks. The second explored how municipal governments and civil society are fostering worker cooperatives, using New York City as a leading example of inclusive policy innovation.

International perspectives were also spotlighted, including a compelling presentation by João Martins of UNI CAFES (Brazil), who shared how family farming cooperatives in Brazil are advancing climate justice, food security, and rural transformation.

The celebration underscored that cooperatives are not peripheral actors—but essential engines of social progress and sustainable development. As the world prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development (4–6 November 2025, Doha), the cooperative model continues to prove that economic success can be rooted in solidarity, dignity, and inclusion.

“This is an important moment for cooperatives to demonstrate their unique value in accelerating social development,” said Mr. Katoanga. “Let us together support and leverage the cooperative model to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world for generations to come.”

Learn more about the International Year of Cooperatives 2025: www.2025.coop
Visit the Second World Summit for Social Development website: social.desa.un.org/world-summit-2025