G20 recognizes cooperatives’ role in accelerating sustainable development

No excuse: Invest to prevent violence against women and girls

One in three women experience physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.

Violence against women is a major human rights violation and a global problem that concerns all of us. According to the WHO, “it is a global public health problem of pandemic proportions, affecting hundreds of millions of women and requiring urgent action.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts and climate change have increased the risks for this violence and generated new threats, amplifying the vulnerability of women and girls. In addition, new forms of violence are emerging online – harassment, coordinated attacks, gendered disinformation – deterring women and girls from participating in the public sphere.

As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we reaffirm, one more year, our commitment against this scourge which is not only destroying the lives of millions of women, but also eroding our communities.

The cooperative movement has already taken a clear stance through the ICA Declaration on Decent Work and Against Harassment, 2018. In this text, ICA members invoked the Statement on Cooperative Identity, the ILO Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (n°193), and their commitment with the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, to declare ICA and its constituent bodies as zero tolerance area for violence in the workplace, making an explicit prohibition within its sphere of influence all sexual harassment.

We are proud of the leadership and powerful voices of women in the cooperative movement that proves it to be an inclusive business model that contributes to balance gender inequalities and builds decent work in many sectors of the economy.

This year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women calls for increasing investment in the prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG).

The ICA Gender Equality Committee endorses the united call of the international community to not only stop but prevent gender-based violence in all spheres. Despite the cooperative movement’s efforts to promote peace within the movement and among its stakeholders, we call for additional resources in this area to prevent this infamous story from being repeated over and over again.

UN resolution calls for a second International Year of Cooperatives in 2025

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a new resolution on cooperatives in social development calling for the proclamation of 2025 as an International Year of Cooperatives.

The text encourages all member states, as well as the United Nations and all other relevant stakeholders, to take advantage of the International Year of Cooperatives as a way of promoting cooperatives and raising awareness of their contribution to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and to overall social and economic development. The resolution was presented by the Government of Mongolian and adopted on 3 November during the 47th plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

The initiative comes after the success of the first International Year of Cooperatives in 2012, which highly contributed to raise awareness of the important role of cooperatives in promoting sustainable development.

Cooperatives: key partners in realizing the agenda 2030 for Sustainable development

The international community marked the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2023. The UN hosted the SDG Summit which culminated to Member States adopting a political declaration with a call to action to reverse the declines and accelerate the progress to achieve the 2030 Agenda and implement the SDGs. Cooperatives contributed to the process that defined the content of Agenda 2030, resulting in an acknowledgment of the significant role of cooperatives in achieving sustainable development. The SDGs are at the very core of cooperative enterprises, as the cooperative business model is based on ethical values and principles whose goal is to provide for the needs and aspirations of its members and the community. To unleash the full potential of cooperatives’ contribution to the SDGs, they need a robust and conducive policy and regulatory environment.

New UN Secretary General report on Cooperatives in Social Development is out!

The 2023 UN Secretary General report on cooperatives in social development has been released. The report sets out the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach as a key way to support cooperatives in fulfilling their potential to increase economic and social well-being for all. The recommendations focus on research, data, policy dialogue, technical support and capacity-building.

The report was published following the 2021 General Assembly Resolution 76/135. It outlines key policies and actions that can assist cooperatives in realizing their full potential for supporting Member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including by providing decent jobs, advancing poverty eradication, and promoting environmental sustainability. It will be presented to the 78th UN General Assembly to be held from 18 to 26 September 2023 to adopt a new Resolution on cooperatives in social development.