KAMPALA, February 12, 2025 –– The Commission for Social Development is convening its sixty-third session from February 10–14, 2025, and according to the International Cooperative Alliance [ICA], a multi-stakeholder forum will be held tomorrow at the United Nations headquarters in New York, U.S. to focus on “Promoting Solidarity and Social Cohesion through Cooperatives, the Social and Solidarity Economy [SSE] as a Path to Achieving the SDGs”.
The forum will discuss country experiences in developing the social and solidarity economy and celebrating the International Year of Cooperatives. It will address questions such as: How important is it to have specific legal frameworks for the growth of the social and solidarity economy?
Other matters to be addressed are; What actions have been taken to develop comprehensive, internationally comparable statistics on the social and solidarity economy? How are the social and solidarity economy and its values reflected in education curricula, capacity-building, and research initiatives? How are social and solidarity economy actors involved in national policymaking processes? How can the Second World Summit for Social Development promote the role of the social and solidarity economy?
“Panellists are invited to structure their 8-minute presentations around solutions and strategies for addressing gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and its Programme of Action, as well as the 2030 Agenda, with a view to shaping a new consensus for the Second World Summit for Social Development, safeguarding long-term progress. The outcome of the discussion will be reflected in the Chair’s summary as part of the inputs from the Commission for Social Development to ECOSOC’s high-level segment, the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, and the Second World Summit for Social Development,” says the ICA.
On its website, the ICA further notes that the outcome of the discussion will be included in the Chair’s summary, contributing to the Commission for Social Development’s inputs to ECOSOC’s high-level segment, the 2025 High-Level Political Forum, and the Second World Summit for Social Development.
The SSE encompasses a broad range of entities united by common principles of voluntary cooperation, mutual aid, democratic and/or participatory governance, autonomy, and independence, with the primacy of people and social purpose over capital in the distribution and use of surpluses and/or profits. Cooperatives are the largest entities within the social and solidarity economy.
Significance of coops
In many countries, cooperatives make significant contributions to the national economy by addressing market failures, empowering marginalised people, creating employment opportunities, and supporting sustainable development.
Globally, there are approximately 3 million cooperatives, and 10 percent of workers worldwide are either employed by a co-operative or are worker-owners within one. The 300 largest cooperatives in the world generate over US$ 2.1 trillion in revenue while providing many essential goods and services. As such, cooperatives have the potential to contribute to an ambitious, action-oriented, and forward-looking output at the Second World Summit for Social Development.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives. The resolution invites all Member States to consider establishing national mechanisms to prepare for, observe, and follow up on the International Year, particularly for the purpose of planning, stimulating, and harmonising the activities of governmental and non-governmental agencies and organisations concerned with the preparations for and observance of the International Year.
The General Assembly resolution on the social and solidarity economy encourages all Member States to implement strategies, policies, and programmes for supporting and enhancing the social and solidarity economy as a potential model for sustainable economic and social development, taking into account national circumstances.
https://thecooperator.news/the-un-unveils-2025-international-year-of-cooperatives-logo/
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