UN Resolution

On December 18, 2009, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives. The UN Resolution, “Cooperatives in Social Development,” recognizes the diversity of the cooperative movement around the world and the role of the cooperative business model in achieving economic viability while also contributing social and community benefits.

Preamble to UN Resolution

You can read the full UN Resolution (PDF). The preamble notes the importance of cooperatives in economic and social development:

• "Recognizing that cooperatives, in their various forms, promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of all people, including women, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples, are becoming a major factor of economic and social development and contribute to the eradication of poverty,
• "Recognizing also the important contribution and potential of all forms of cooperatives to the follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), including their five-year reviews, the World Food Summit, the Second World Assembly on Ageing, the International Conference on Financing for Development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 2005 World Summit,

• "Noting with appreciation the potential role of cooperative development in the improvement of the social and economic conditions of the indigenous peoples and rural communities,"

More Information

• Visit the UN's IYC 2012 website for more information.
• You can find additional resources at the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives COPAC is a committee made up of the cooperative movement and the United Nations and its agencies.