On 1 July the co-operative movement will celebrate the International Day of Co-operatives 2023. Under the slogan ‘Co-operatives for Sustainable Development’, the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) aims to demonstrate that the way co-operatives work, inspired by their values and principles, has the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its DNA.
As the ICA reminds us, in September 2023 the international community will reach the halfway point of the deadline for achieving the 2023 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The co-operative movement, one of the oldest and most collective movements in the world, was the first group of enterprises worldwide to support and was recognised by the UN for its contribution to the SDGs.
“Inherent to co-operatives is the safeguarding of community relations, the enhancement of local resources, the promotion of social responsibility and the adoption of sustainable and long-standing business practices”, the ICA reminds us.
“At the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda, efforts need to be deepened, and this can only be done with more cooperation. Businesses, which are responsible for organising the production and distribution of goods and services, must focus on people and the environment. Co-operatives have a model for doing this, and have been demonstrating it for almost 200 years”, says the President of the International Co-operative Alliance, Ariel Guarco.
The ICA invites co-operators around the world to celebrate the International Day of Co-operatives and to show the world what the power of co-operation can achieve.
The ICA’s central event to celebrate the Day will be held in San Sebastian (Spain) on 1 July (See programme of the event) (Registration).
About the International Day of Co-operatives
Co-operatives around the world have been celebrating Co-operatives Day for a century, but it was not until 1995, the year of the centenary of the ICA, that the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed it as the International Day of Co-operatives and established its annual celebration every first Saturday in July.
The aim of #CoopsDay is to improve knowledge about co-operatives. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations have chosen the theme for #CoopsDay through the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC). This year’s theme is “Cooperatives: partners for accelerated sustainable development”.
About COPAC
The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) is an organisation of global public and private institutions that promotes and supports self-reliant, people-centred cooperative enterprises as leaders in sustainable development.
COPAC consists of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).
