International Day of Cooperatives

International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. It was first celebrated under the auspices of the United Nations in 2005, though its history as a day celebrated by the international cooperative movement and the International Co-operative Alliance goes back  to 1923. The aim of the International Day is to increase awareness on cooperatives and and promote the values and principles that make the cooperative model suitable for advancing sustainable development. The International Day also aims to strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors, including international organizations, and governments and social partners, at local, national and international levels.

Each year the theme of the International Day of Cooperatives is determined by the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), of which the ILO is a member. 

ILO’s Director-General has provided statements for the International Day of Cooperatives from 2010 to 2017, 2019 to 2020 and 2022 and 2023. Senior ILO Management representatives have also participated and presented in activities around the International Day of Cooperatives. Below are some links for these statements and activities.

2023

Statement by the Director-General for the International Day of Cooperatives - 1 July 2023. The theme for the 2023 International Day of Cooperatives is “Cooperatives: partners for accelerated sustainable development” .




The full text of the statement is available here in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, PortugueseTurkish and Vietnamese.

2022

Statement by the Director-General for the International Day of Cooperatives - 2 July 2022. The theme for the 2022 International Day of Cooperatives is “Cooperatives Build a Better World”. 



The full text of the statement is available here in English, FrenchSpanish, and Turkish

2021

Statement by ILO Deputy Director General for Policy for the International Day of Cooperatives – 3 July 2021

The theme for the 2021 International Day of Cooperatives is “Cooperatives for building a people-centred and environmentally just recovery” as determined by the Committee on the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC). The theme is closely linked to building back better together from the social and economic impact of the COVID19 global pandemic. 
The full text of the statement is available here.
1 minute video of the statement is available here.



2020


 
  • A film on "The  COVID-19 response: Cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations".

1 minute video of the "The COVID-19 response: Cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) organizations" is available here.

  •  A film on "Cooperatives for Climate Action": The film was created for the International Day of Cooperatives 2020. It is available in English, with subtitles in French and Spanish.

2019

2018

2017

2016

"An old idea, but more relevant than ever in today’s world" . Message by ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder for International Day of Cooperatives 2016 – 1 July 2016

2015

“Choose cooperatives, choose equality" . Message by ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder for International Day of Cooperatives 2015 – 4 July 2015

2014

“Cooperatives for sustainable development" . Message by ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder for International Day of Cooperatives 2014 – 5 July 2014

2013

“Cooperative Enterprise Remains Strong in Times of Crisis” . Message by ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder for International Day of Cooperatives 2013 – 5 July 2013

2012

"Cooperative enterprises build a better world" . Statement by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives – 6 July 2012

2011

“Youth, the future of cooperative enterprise” . Statement by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives – 2 July 2011

2010

“Cooperative enterprise empowers women” . Statement by Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office on the occasion of International Day of Cooperatives – 3 July 2010