UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encourages governments to adopt policies to support and strengthen cooperatives
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encourages governments to adopt policies to support and strengthen cooperatives
july 5, 2013 July 6 of this year is "International Day of Cooperatives". Its publicity theme is: enterprise cooperation, maintaining vigorous development in the financial crisis (Cooperative enterprise remains strong in time of crisis). UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement in this regard, calling on governments to encourage policies to support and strengthen cooperatives.
In his statement on the International Day of Cooperatives, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that humanity is living in a time of global uncertainty, with multiple crises and natural disasters testing even the strongest economies and communities. The annual International Day of Cooperatives is an opportunity to highlight how cooperatives can contribute to building resilience in all regions and all economic sectors. In the midst of the current global financial and economic crisis, financial cooperatives have proven their strength and resilience, benefiting their members, employees and customers. They have maintained high credit ratings, increased assets and turnover, and expanded their membership and customer base.
Ban Ki-moon said that after the earthquake, tsunami, flood and other disasters, the cooperative has shown its ability to mobilize unity and reconstruction. Agricultural cooperatives increase farmers' productivity by helping to provide markets, credit, insurance and technology. Social cooperatives can provide an important safety net in the face of diminishing or already minimal public benefits. They also show considerable potential for empowering youth and alleviating the growing global youth employment crisis. In this regard, he called on Governments to encourage policies to support and strengthen cooperatives so that they can contribute fully to inclusive and sustainable development.
In 1844, Rochdale Fair Pioneer Society was born in England, which opened the prelude of the modern cooperative movement. The International Cooperative Union was founded in London in 1895. In 1922, the International Cooperative Alliance decided to designate the first Saturday of July as "International Day of Cooperatives". In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming the first Saturday of July 1995 as the "United Nations International Day of Cooperatives" to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the establishment of the International Cooperative Alliance, and subsequently decided to celebrate this day every year to increase people's awareness of cooperatives, emphasize the goal of complementarity between the United Nations and the international cooperative movement, and emphasize the great contribution of the movement to solving the main problems raised by the United Nations.
Full text of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message:6 July 2013
we live in a time of global uncertainty. Multiple crises and natural disasters are testing even the strongest economies and communities. The annual International Day of Cooperatives is an opportunity to highlight how cooperatives can contribute to building resilience in all regions and all economic sectors.
In the midst of the current global financial and economic crisis, financial cooperatives have proven their strength and resilience, benefiting their members, employees and customers. They have maintained high credit ratings, increased assets and turnover, and expanded their membership and customer base.
In the aftermath of disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, cooperatives have demonstrated their ability to mobilize solidarity for reconstruction. Agricultural cooperatives increase farmers' productivity by helping to provide markets, credit, insurance and technology. Social cooperatives can provide an important safety net in the face of diminishing or already minimal public benefits. They also show considerable potential for empowering youth and alleviating the growing global youth employment crisis.
On this International Day of Cooperatives, I call on governments to encourage policies to support and strengthen cooperatives so that they can contribute fully to inclusive and sustainable development.
(Responsible editor: Shixin)