International Day of Cooperatives
The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on 2 July every year. Since 1923, the International Co-operative Alliance has commemorated International Co-operative Day on the first Saturday in July to celebrate the cooperative movement. The United Nations declared “the first Saturday of July 1995 to be International Day of Cooperatives, honouring the centennial of the formation of the International Cooperative Alliance” in resolution 47/90 on 16 December 1992.
Since 1995, International Co-operative Day has been celebrated with the United Nations’ International Day of Co-operatives. Around the world, cooperatives commemorate the day in various ways, and the organizing institutions agree on a theme for the celebrations each year. Do you know? To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the theme was Cooperative Enterprise Empowers Women.
COPAC (the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives) determines the theme of the International Day of Cooperatives each year, and the International Labour Organization is a member and current chair (since March 2017).
The theme for the 2021 International Day of Cooperatives is “Cooperation for building a people-centred and environmentally just recovery” as decided by the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC).
History
Cooperatives are organizations and businesses that help individuals better their lives while also contributing to their community’s and country’s economic, social, cultural, and political growth. These cooperatives have been responsible for wealth development and poverty eradication for many years. They are also typically critical stakeholders in national and international politics. The members contribute evenly and democratically to the cooperative association’s wealth and earnings. Cooperatives are more ethical and equitable when accelerating capital concentration since they are people-centred rather than money-focused.
Cooperatives promote equality as well. Cooperatives are devoted to the long-term development of their communities, including environmental, social, and economic sustainability since they are community-based. Cooperatives also participate in community events, local enterprises, and communal decision-making. Cooperatives seek to share their economic and social success with everyone, despite their primary concentration on their local community. They also want to eliminate the inequalities and excesses that plague modern capitalism.
The cooperative movement is very democratic and independent on a local level, but it is also globally integrated. Citizens are encouraged to be self-sufficient and to take responsibility for their own economic, social, and environmental well-being. Cooperatives effectively alleviate poverty, secure productive work, and promote social integration.
Importance
By allowing individuals to create their riches, the International Day of Cooperatives aspires to make our society genuinely socially, economically, politically, and culturally inclusive. Self-sufficiency is instilled in us through cooperatives. They provide us with the skills we need to assist ourselves, and our communities create social and economic growth while ensuring that everyone has equal access to opportunities and prosperity. Unfortunately, capital production has the potential to widen the gap between the affluent and the poor. Co-operative. On the other hand, Cooperative movements have been working hard to promote the production of long-term prosperity without abusing the poor.
This event aims to raise awareness of cooperatives by showing how the United Nations and the international cooperative movement share similar goals and objectives. This day honors cooperatives’ contributions to resolving some of the most pressing worldwide challenges that have drawn the attention of the United Nations. The day also aims to deepen and expand collaborations between the worldwide cooperative movement and other social development organizations.
All Events: 2022 Events Calendar
Fun Fact
What is an International Co-operative?
The International Co-operative Alliance is an NGO that unites and serves other cooperative organizations globally.
