"I urge Governments to create an enabling environment for cooperatives to thrive and grow. Let us harness the power of cooperatives to achieve the SDGs and create a world of dignity and opportunity for all."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Credit: International Co-operative Alliance2016 Theme: ‘Co-operatives: The power to act for a sustainable future’
In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed, in its resolution 47/90 of 16 December 1992, the International Day of Cooperatives to be celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.
The aim of this International Day is to:
- Increase awareness on cooperatives;
- Highlight the complementarily of the goals and objectives of the United Nations and the international cooperative movement;
- Underscore the contribution of the movement to the resolution of the major problems addressed by the United Nations;
- Strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors, including governments, at local, national and international levels.
This year, International Co-operative Day, to be celebrated on 2 July, will have the theme ‘Co-operatives: The power to act for a sustainable future.’
Co-operatives have a unique role to play in implementing and achieving the SDGs, because their business model has sustainable development at its core, being based on ethical values and principles.