COPAC and the UN International Day of Cooperatives

COPAC and the UN International Day of Cooperatives

Aim - COPAC Materials for the Day - Background

Aim

The aim of the International Day of Cooperatives is to increase awareness on cooperatives, highlight the complementarity of the goals and objectives of the United Nations and the international co-operative movement and, underscore the contribution of the movement to the resolution of the major problems addressed by the United Nations. The International Day also aims to to strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors, including governments, at local, national and international levels.

COPAC Contribution to the Celebration

COPAC members annually celebrates the United Nations International Day of Cooperatives by making materials avialable on the theme of the Day.

Background

The United Nations has recognized and reaffirmed that cooperatives have an important role to play in economic, social and cultural development particularly by providing a suitable framework for facilitating the mobilization of human, financial and other resources. This recognition and reaffirmation is manifested by the numerous resolutions specific to cooperatives and the bi-annual publication of the Secretary-General's report on cooperatives.

In 1992, following a concerted lobbying effort by the cooperative movements in membership of the International Co- operative Alliance (ICA) and members of the Committee for the Promotion and Advancment of Cooperatives (COPAC), the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Day of Cooperatives by the UN by resolution 47/90 of 16 December 1992.

The resolution states:

"... The General Assembly,

Proclaims the first Saturday of July 1995 to be the International Day of Cooperatives, marking the centenary of the establishment of the International Co-operative Alliance, and decides to consider the possibility of observing an International Day of Cooperatives in future years; ...

The date of the celebration of the International Day was chosen to coincide with the already existing International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) International Co-operative Day with has been celebrated since 1927.

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly adopted another resolution on cooperatives which not only called on governments and international agencies to "consider fully the potential of cooperatives for contributing to the solution of economic, social and environmental problems in formulating national development strategies; and consider reviewing legal and administrative constraints on the activities of cooperatives with a view to eliminating those constraints that are not applied to other businesses and enterprises", but also invited "...governments, relevant international organizations, specialized agencies and national and international cooperative organizations to observe annually the International Day of Cooperatives on the first Saturday of July starting from 1995, as proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/90".

Comments or questions? Contact the COPAC Coordinator.

Updated: 24 June 2008