20 June 2024 - The UN General Assembly yesterday declared 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC2025) to be celebrated under the theme "Cooperatives Build a Better World."
The theme highlights the lasting global impact of cooperatives and emphasizes that the cooperative model is a crucial solution for addressing various global challenges. Additionally, it underscores the significant role cooperatives play in advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
In its resolution, the UN General Assembly recommends ways to celebrate the year and encourages all UN Member States, the United Nations System, and relevant stakeholders to leverage this event to promote cooperatives’ contribution to social and economic development. Among others, the
"The decision by the General Assembly could not be timelier. The innovative contributions of cooperatives for sustainable development will be crucial for accelerating progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as we approach 2030," said Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. "The second International Year of Cooperatives will be an opportunity to mobilize all stakeholders to support and expand cooperatives everywhere, strengthening their contributions for a better world."
A soft launch of the IYC2025 will take place on 9 July 2024 during the UN High-level Political Forum at the UN Headquarters in New York. This hybrid event will be hosted by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations. Organizers will unveil the IYC2025
Join the official launch of the International Year of Cooperatives
The official launch of the IYC2025 will take place in New Delhi, India, during the , scheduled for 25-30 November 2024, in the presence of global leaders seeking to inspire cooperators worldwide. This will be followed by a year-long celebration of cooperatives' impact on society, reflecting on achievements, and actions to strengthen the cooperative movement and improve the lives for everyone.
The key objectives for IYC25 include:
1) Governments creating an enabling environment for cooperatives
2) Cooperatives promoting public awareness, developing new leaders, and leveraging cooperation
3) Institutions and development agencies promoting cooperatives through education, strengthening capacities, and facilitating international collaboration
4) The public understanding the cooperative identity and supporting cooperative initiatives
The United Nations General Assembly declared the first International Year of Cooperatives in 2012 and called to highlight the contributions of cooperatives to socio-economic development, particularly their impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. Cooperatives around the world celebrated this inaugural event under the theme Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World to encourage the growth and establishment of cooperatives all over the world.
Cooperatives are business enterprises owned and controlled by the very members that they serve. Their member-driven nature is one of the most clearly differentiating factors of cooperative enterprises. This fact means that decisions made in cooperatives are balanced by the pursuit of profit, and the needs and interests of members and their communities. Cooperatives take many forms and operate in all sectors of society. Most share a unique set of principles which keep them attuned with their member-driven characterization.
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