Cooperatives for sustainable development: 2023 International Day of Cooperatives announced

Cooperatives help to move forward the UN 2030 Agenda and make SDGs a reality.

On 1 July, the cooperative movement will celebrate the 2023 International Day of Cooperatives. United by the slogan Cooperatives for sustainable development, we will show how the cooperative way of working, inspired by the cooperative values and principles, has the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of its DNA.

In September 2023, the international community will mark the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and seek ways to accelerate progress in the SDGs. It is thus a real key moment to demonstrate the contribution of cooperatives in advancing the achievement of the SDGs.

Being one of the world’s oldest and largest business networks, the cooperative movement was the first group of enterprises worldwide to endorse the SDGs and be recognised as a partner in achieving these goals.

As natural vehicles of collaborative partnership and prosperity for all, cooperatives contribute to economic, social, and environmental sustainability across regions and economic sectors. It is inherent among them to safeguard community relations, enhance local resources, advocate social responsibility, and adopt sustainable and long-term business practices.

“At the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda, efforts need to be deepened, and this can only be done with more cooperation. Enterprises, which are responsible for organising the production and distribution of goods and services, must focus on people and the planet. Cooperatives have a model for doing this, and have been demonstrating it for almost 200 years'', says the President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Ariel Guarco.”

The ICA invites cooperators across the globe to celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives and show the world what can be achieved through the power of cooperation.

The 2023 #CoopsDay action pack including the logo, key messages and other digital resources will be available soon on the CoopsDay website. Join the #coops4sdgs campaign!

About the International Day of Cooperatives

Celebrated worldwide for more than a century and officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the centenary of the ICA in 1995, the International Day of Cooperatives is annually commemorated on the first Saturday of July. 

The aim of #CoopsDay is to increase awareness of cooperatives. The event underscores the contributions of the cooperative movement 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. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations, through the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), have jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay. 

This year’s theme is “Cooperatives: partners for accelerated sustainable development” and the celebration will mark the 29th International Day of Cooperatives recognized by the United Nations and the 101st International Cooperative Day.

Through #CoopsDay, local, national, and international policymakers, civil society organisations and the public in general can learn about the contribution of cooperatives to a just and sustainable future for all.

About COPAC

The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) is a multi-stakeholder partnership of global public and private institutions that champions and supports people-centred and self-sustaining cooperative enterprises as leaders in sustainable development.

It consists of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Center (ITC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). Learn more about COPAC on its website.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.