Equality counts among the six guiding values for cooperative enterprises, and open and voluntary membership is one of the principles to which cooperatives subscribe. Cooperative enterprises also have a “one member, one vote” system, which ensures that decision making powers are equally shared amongst their members. Being people-centred enterprises, cooperatives ...

UNDESA DSPD Focal Point on Cooperatives is organizing an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) and Capacity-building Workshop on "The Role of Cooperatives in Sustainable Development: Contributions, Challenges and Strategies" on 8–10 December, 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya. The EGM is an opportunity for the exchange of ideas on how cooperatives are helping to ...

UNDESA DSPD participated in a disability data workshop organized by the Department for International Development (DFID) in London on 23 October 2014, to work with key stakeholders on the current status and understanding of disability data. The meeting aimed to find ways to move forward to establishing greater coherence amongst ...

Cooperative enterprises put social justice and equity at the heart of economic progress.  As member-owned, member-run and member-serving businesses, cooperatives empower people to collectively realize their economic aspirations, while strengthening their social and human capital and developing their communities. To celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives this year, UNDESA-DSPD in partnership ...

UNDESA-DSPD is currently conducting a study of cooperatives throughout the world, presently placing its focus on cooperatives in China and India. A database will be prepared showing consolidated and sector-level data on cooperatives across industries. The data will include as many cooperative sectors as possible (e.g., financial services, agriculture, credit unions, ...

The International Day of Cooperatives is an opportunity to place the spotlight broadly on the role of cooperatives in the social development process. Specifically, this year, the focus of the International Day will be on the role of cooperatives in building resilient societies in times of economic, social, and environmental ...

“As a strong partner in development, the cooperative movement works with the United Nations every day to empower people, enhance human dignity and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) 2012 came ...

The International Year of Cooperatives celebrated under the theme “Cooperative enterprises build a better world” will culminate on 19-20 November with a closing ceremony featuring a short film festival   Over one billion people are members of cooperatives, a serious enterprise model that puts people at the heart of ...

Self‑help, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity are the key values uniting cooperatives all over the world. Coops promote empowerment and sustainable living through helping people help themselves, and in the process they are advancing the Millennium Development Goals. New York based cooperatives are no exception, ...

Remarks by Daniela Bas, Director, UNDESA/DSPD at the Ministerial Breakfast on cooperatives on the theme, “Promoting productive capacity for sustainable livelihoods: the role of cooperatives.” Your excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I am very pleased to welcome all of you to this Ministerial Breakfast to discuss how cooperatives can contribute ...