Ulaanbaatar, July 17, 2024 /MONTSAME/. On the ocassion of the International Day of Cooperatives, the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations hosted a soft-launch event for the 2025 UN International Year of Cooperatives together with the UN Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) on July 9, 2024.

On June 19, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “International Year of Cooperatives, 2025” at the initiative of Mongolia, which also initiated the previous “International Year of Cooperatives, 2012” in its capacity as the traditional main co-sponsor of the UNGA resolution “Cooperatives in Social Development.”

The soft-launch event was opened by Ankhbayar Nyamdorj, Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations.

In the outset of his remarks, Ankhbayar Nyamdorj highlighted that cooperatives, as people-centered enterprises bringing people together in a more democratic and equal way, have been greatly  contributing to the socio-economic development of the country. Today, there are about 3 million cooperatives globally, with 12 percent of people on the planet being members of any of these cooperatives. As of 2023, the top 300 large cooperatives in the world generate over USD 2.4 trillion in revenue, while providing many essential goods and services.

Furthermore, he underlined that the main objectives of the “International Year of Cooperatives, 2025” to be celebrated under the theme of “Cooperatives Build A Better World” will be focused on promoting the worldwide cooperative movement and strengthening contributions of cooperatives to the intensification of the SDGs’ implementation and encouraged fellow member states and institutions to form national and regional committees to organize events and activities commemorating and celebrating the International Year of Cooperatives.

Highlighting the Mongolian Government's policies to support cooperatives, Mr. Ankhbayar Nyamdorj presented the recently launched "New Cooperative – Wealthy Herder" program and outlined the initial steps taken under this initiative.

The soft-launch event was attended by Paula Narváez Ojeda, President of ECOSOC, Gilbert Houngbo, Director General of the International Labor Organization, John Wilmoth, UNDESA Director, and Ariel Guarco, President of International Coopperative Alliance (ICA). Member States, led by Kenya and India, and ICA representatives from the Asia-Pacific, Americas, Africa, and European offices also shared details about their regional plans for commemorating IYC2025 and increasing the contributions of cooperatives to the implementation of the SDGs.

Initiatives and ideas discussed at the soft-launch will be elaborated and refined until the official opening of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 to be held during the International Cooperative Alliance’s Global Conference scheduled on 25-30 November 2024 in New Delhi, India.

Initiatives and ideas discussed at the soft-launch will be further elaborated and refined ahead of the official opening of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, to be held during the International Cooperative Alliance’s Global Conference on November 25-30, 2024, in New Delhi, India.