ICA International Co-operative Day / United Nations International Day of Co-operatives

The International Day: Aim

The International Co-operative Day / International Day of Co-operatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. Its aim is to increase awareness on co-operatives and promote promote the movement's successes and ideals of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace. The International Day also aims to to strengthen and extend partnerships between the international co-operative movement and other actors, including governments, at local, national and international levels. The International Day: Background ICA first celebrated International Day in 1923. In 1994, thanks to the lobbying efforts made through the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) of which the ICA is a member, the United Nations recognised and reaffirmed that co-operatives have an important role to play in economic, social and cultural development and proclaimed an UN International Day of Co-operatives to be celebrated for the first time in 1995, marking the centenary of the establishment of the ICA. The UN requested all its member governments to join with their co-operative movements to celebrate the day. The decision of the UN to celebrate an international day with the ICA highlights the complementarity of the goals and objectives of the United Nations and the international co-operative movement. Both the ICA and UN Days are celebrated on the same day - the first Saturday in July every year. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations through COPAC jointly set the theme for the celebration of the International Day. It underscores the contribution of the movement to resolving global issues addressed both the Co-operative Movement and the United Nations. The theme is generally selected in the Spring. ICA prepares a message for the Day which is disseminated to all ICA members, international organisations including the United Nations and its agencies, development partners and the press. For 2005, ICA will also celebrate with a public lecture. Details on the speakers and theme will soon be available.

Theme for 2008: "Confronting Climate Change through Cooperative Enterprise" 5 July 2008 ICA Message - English - Finnish - French - Italian - Japanese - Portuguese Brazilian - Romanian - Spanish- Vietnamese

• 2007 "Co-operative Values and Principles for Corporate Social responsibility."
• 2006 "Peace-building through Co-operatives."
• 2005: "Microfinance is OUR business! Cooperating out of poverty"
• 2004: "Co-operatives for Fair Globalisation: Creating Opportunities for All"
• 2003: "Co-operatives Make Development Happen!: The contribution of co-operatives to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals"
• 2002: "Society and Co-operatives: Concern for Community"
• 2001: "The Co-operative Advantage in the Third Millennium"
• 2000: "Co-operatives and Employment Promotion"

How to celebrate International Day?

• The messages of the ICA and United Nations are translated into local languages and widely disseminated to co-operators, media, government officials at all level.
• Co-operatives use newspapers and radio programmes to create awareness on their movements and contributions.
• Co-operative Fairs, exhibits, contests, and campaigns are held.
• Meetings with government officials, United Nations agencies and other partner organisations are held.
• Co-operatives partner with community agencies to champion economic, environmental, social and health challenges (blood drives, tree planting, etc.)
• Cultural events are sponsored - theatre, concerts, etc.