This year’s International Day of Co-operatives will be themed “sustainable consumption and production of goods and services”, it was announced today.
The day, celebrated annually since 1995 to raise awareness of co-ops, is held on the first Saturday of July – which this year falls on 7 July.
“We believe that co-operatives are an important and efficient instrument to fight poverty,” said Ariel Guarco, president of the International Co-operative Alliance, who attended the launch meeting at the UN headquarters in New York.
He added: “Co-operatives bring people together in a democratic and equal way. They allow people to take control of their economic future and, because they are not owned by shareholders, the economic and social benefits of their activity stay in the communities where they are established.
“These are two very important characteristics of co-operatives especially when it comes to fighting poverty.”
The event was organised by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in the framework of the 56th session of the Commission for Social Development. COPAC is made up of the International Co-operative Alliance, the International Labour Organisation, the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO).
Mr Guarco also presented some of the latest results of the online platform Coops for 2030, which features pledges that co-operatives from around the world make regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So far around 100 co-operatives from 40 countries have made 300 pledges using the platform.
To mark the #coopsday co-operatives from around the world are invited to participate in selecting the slogan for the day. They have until noon, 8 February (UTC-5) to vote for one of the three slogans:
- Sustainable societies through co-operation
- Choose a co-op: for a greener planet, for a common future, for a better world
- Choose co-op: Together for the planet
The theme was chosen to complement that of the 2018 High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF): “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”.
UN Member States will meet un July for the event, which will review progress towards achieving the following Sustainable Development Goals: 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (clean and affordable energy), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 15 (life on land).
