International Day of Cooperatives - The First Saturday of Every July

Cooperatives Build a Better World

On July 1, cooperatives all around the world will celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay). A decade on from the UN International Year of Cooperatives, which showcased the unique contribution of cooperatives to making the world a better place, this year’s #CoopsDay slogan — “Cooperatives for sustainable development”— echoes the theme of the International Year.

Operating all around the world, in many different sectors of economy, cooperatives have proven themselves more resilient to crises than the average. They foster economic participation, fight against environmental degradation and climate change, generate good jobs, contribute to food security, keep financial capital within local communities, build ethical value chains, and, by improving people’s material conditions and security, contribute to positive peace.

More information

Brief History

The earliest record of a co-operative comes from Scotland in March 14 1761. In 1844 a group of 28 artisans working in the cotton mills in north of England established the first modern co-operative business.

MORE HISTORY OF THE COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT

Facts & Figures

• 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 2,034.98 billion USD;
• Cooperatives employ 280 million people across the globe (10% of the world’s employed population).

Source: World Cooperative Monitor 2020

Background

The Co-operatives Movement

Co-operatives have been acknowledged as associations and enterprises through which citizens can effectively improve their lives while contributing to the economic, social, cultural and political advancement of their community and nation. The co-operative movement has been also recognized as a distinct and major stakeholder in both national and international affairs.

Co-operatives' open membership model affords access to wealth creation and poverty elimination. This results from the co-operative principle of members' economic participation: 'Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their co-operative.' Because co-operatives are people-centred, not capital-centred , they do not perpetuate, nor accelerate capital concentration and they distribute wealth in a more fair way.

Co-operatives also foster external equality. As they are community-based, they are committed to the sustainable development of their communities - environmentally, socially and economically. This commitment can be seen in their support for community activities, local sourcing of supplies to benefit the local economy, and in decision-making that considers the impact on their communities.

Despite their local community focus, co-operatives also aspire to bring the benefits of their economic and social model to all people in the world. Globalization should be governed by a set of values such as those of the co-operative movement; otherwise, it creates more inequality and excesses that render it unsustainable.

The cooperative movement is highly democratic, locally autonomous, but internationally integrated, and a form of organization of associations and enterprises whereby citizens themselves rely on self-help and their own responsibility to meet goals that include not only economic, but also social and environmental objectives, such as overcoming poverty, securing productive employment and encouraging social integration.

This part of the article has been published in the United Nations' site in this link: https://www.un.org/en/observances/cooperatives-day.