International Day of Co-operatives is an annual celebration of the cooperative movement observed on the first Saturday of July, celebrated worldwide. This year, it will fall on July 7^th.

This year’s theme is:  “Sustainable consumption and production”, creating an opportunity for cooperatives to show how they run successful businesses while respecting our natural environment and the resources it offers.

Slogan of the Day “Sustainable societies through cooperation” was selected by cooperators from around the world. Through the IDC, local and global policymakers can learn how cooperatives contribute to more sustainable and resilient societies and work towards including cooperatives in policy processes related to sustainability issues.

PURPOSE

The purpose of International Day of Cooperatives is to increase awareness on cooperatives and promote the movement’s successes and ideals of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality and world peace. It brings together cooperatives, civil society, financial institutions, policy makers, regulators, academia and other stakeholders to celebrate and review the current state of the cooperative movement, share challenges/ successful experiences and discuss other pertinent issues affecting Cooperatives.

VENUE

In Uganda, it is held in rotation by Cooperatives in various parts of the country. This year, it will take place at the Civil Service College Jinja, in Jinja District. It will be hosted by WALIMU Teachers SACCO. His Excellency the President is expected to be the Chief Guest.

THE COOPERATIVE WEEK

The Ministry in collaboration with other stakeholders has earmarked the first week of July 2018 as the Cooperative Week and intends to undertake a number of activities across the country.

These are aimed at increasing awareness of cooperatives. A brief on the activities is provided below

1. Friday June 29, Saturday June 30 & Sunday July 1: National Prayers

National prayers will be organized in all mosques on Friday June 29, in Seventh Day Adventist churches on Saturday June 30 and in all Christian churches on Churched on Sunday July 1 in observance of the International Day of Cooperatives. A message to embrace togetherness through cooperatives will be preached throughout the places of prayer.  

2. Monday July 2 2018: National Blood donation drive

Working in conjunction with the Uganda Transfusion Service, Cooperators and the public will donate blood at the seven regional blood banks in the country (Mbale, Gulu, Arua, Fort portal, Mbarara, Masaka and Kampala). This is line with the Seventh Principle of Cooperatives: Concern for Community. 

In Kampala, Hon. Frederick Gume will launch the Blood Donation at Constitutional Square at 10:00am

3. Tuesday, July 3, 20168: National Cleaning of all Major Markets in the Cities and Towns in the country.

As part of our cooperate social responsibility which is very much in line with the cooperative principle number 7, we have planned to organize cooperators to give back directly to the communities in which they live with markets being a central place for almost everyone. We also know that people working in markets have organized themselves in cooperatives (with the majority being SACCOs). It is through the existing cooperative structures at such levels that we will mobilize the communities to clean their markets.

4. Wednesday July 4, 2018: Joint Press Conference at Media Center & National Conference and Ignatius Kangaave Musaazi memorial lecture.

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Amelia Kyambadde together with the Representative of UNDP and the Representative of Walimu SACCO will officially launch the National Cooperatives Week at the Uganda Media Center.

Since 2016, we have been holding a memorial lecture for one the late IK Musaazi, a person who immensely contributed to the birth and growth of the cooperative movement in the country. This half day lecture will be take place in the afternoon and will be preceded by a half day national conference where at-least 2 papers on cooperative development will be presented and deliberated upon by the cooperators and general public.

5. Thursday July 5, 2018: Planting a tree at major schools as part of the green growth campaign

For the past 2 years, we have been planting a cooperative tree at various locations. In 2016, we planted a cooperative tree at the major cooperative societies across the entire country, in 2017, we planted a cooperative tree at each district headquarter and this year we plan to plant a tree at all schools in the country. The district leaders including the education teams will be mobilized to take lead in this process and ensure success and ownership at that level.

 Official tree planting by Hon. Amelia Kyambadde will take place at Masulita at 10:00 am

6. Friday July 6, 2018: National Symposium and beginning of exhibitions in Jinja

As has always been the practice, the cooperative movement usually meets every Friday before the international cooperative day to deliberate on important matters and issues in the cooperative movement. We believe that such a discussion will be healthy for the movement because it will help all the stakeholders who are in touch with the cooperatives on a more regular basis understand and appreciate the actual support required by the cooperators.

7. Saturday July 7, 2018: Main celebrations of International Cooperative Day

The celebrations will include processions, entertainment, Speeches, exhibitions, etc. It will be crowned with the giving out of awards to various personalities who have made a contribution to

Uganda’s Cooperative movement.

Guest of Honour: H.E the President of the Republic of Uganda