FORUM: “Cooperatives Build a Better World.” International Day of Cooperatives 2022.
Focusing on the unique contribution of cooperatives to make the world a better place, the International Cooperative Alliance and the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives have chosen –“Cooperatives Build a Better World” as the theme for 2022.
The aim of #CoopsDay is to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote the movement’s ideas of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace.
Through International Cooperatives Day; 2 July, local, national and global Policy-makers, Civil society organisations and the public in general can learn about the contribution of Cooperative enterprises to a secure future for all.
The ICA invites cooperators everywhere to spread the word about how our human-centred business model, inspired by the cooperative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity and the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others, is building a better world.
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.
The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations, is holding an International Day commemorative event as part of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) Labs organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The event will focus on the contribution of cooperatives to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It will provide an opportunity for Member States to share good practices and present their national action plans in support of cooperatives to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Countries that have included cooperatives in their VNRs will lead the discussions.This year’s commemoration also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the International Day of Cooperatives, and the 10th anniversary of the UN International Year of Cooperatives.
Objectives:
The event will underscore the contributions of cooperatives to resolving the major problems addressed by the United Nations and to strengthening and extending the partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors.
Broad consultations and multi-stakeholder participation are recognized as key conditions for a successful VNR process and critical in ensuring the implementation of plans after the VNRs presentation. Inclusiveness in VNRs is essential to the principles of leaving no one behind and integrated implementation of the SDGs.
Inclusive processes empower citizens and build the capacities of civil society to take ownership and contribute to the review process.
Cooperatives represent at least 12% of people on earth who are members of any of the 3 million cooperatives worldwide. They play an important role in addressing the needs of their members and communities and in the process, they contribute towards the implementation of the SDGs. Therefore, it “Our Common Agenda” is important for the governments to include cooperatives in the VNRs consultations processes and recognize their effective contribution toward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and their role in economic development at national level.
Therefore, the event aims to facilitate cross-regional learning of innovative approaches and examples of how inclusive stakeholder engagement in the VNR process can accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the country and regional levels. Drawing on examples from the regions, it will illustrate how inclusive VNRs can be instrumental in maintaining and increasing the level of ambition in VNRs reporting, heightening the impact of the VNRs, and supporting inclusive and sustainable recovery from the COVID19 crisis.
Representatives of VNR participating countries, regional organizations and other stakeholders will be invited to exchange experiences and best practices and how they involve different stakeholders including cooperatives in the VNR consultation processes. In doing so, they will demonstrate how efforts to bring countries together at the regional level have been useful and will continue to be relevant in the context of the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development.
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