The UN International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay) is observed annually on the First Saturday of July, which falls on July 3 in 2021. It is observed to increase awareness of cooperatives and highlight the contributions of the cooperative movement.
- It aims to strengthen and extend partnerships between the International cooperative movement and other actors, including governments, local, national, and international levels.
- The Theme for International Day of Cooperatives is ‘Rebuild better together’.
- 2021’s celebration will be the 27th International Day of Cooperative recognized by the UN and the 99th International Cooperative Day (being observed since 1923).
Background
i.On 16th December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution to proclaim the 1st saturday of july 1995 to be the International Day of Cooperatives. It was done to mark the centenary of the establishment of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), which was founded in 1895.
ii.Since 1995, the ICA and the UN through the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay.
iii.International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is one of the oldest non-governmental organisations and one of the largest ones measured by the number of people representing 1 billion cooperative members on the planet.
i.Cooperatives can be found mostly in the fields of health, agriculture, production, retail, finance, housing, employment, education, social services.
- More than 12% of humanity is part of any of the 3 million cooperatives in the world.
- The largest 300 cooperatives and mutuals report a total turnover of USD 2,034.98 billion.
- Cooperatives employ 280 million people across the globe (10% of the world’s employed population).
About International Cooperative Alliance (IAC)
President – Ariel Guarco (Argentina)
Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium
