First Saturday of July Named International Day of Cooperatives

‘The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed that the International Day of Cooperatives [is] to be celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July,’ informed Sandeep Marwah President of World Peace Development And Research Foundation and Ambassador of International Human Rights Organization affiliated to United Nation and International Bar Association….The aim of this International Day is to Increase awareness [about] cooperatives; highlight the complementarity of the goals and objectives of the United Nations and the international cooperative movement; underscore the contribution of the movement to the resolution of the major problems addressed by the United Nations; and strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors, including governments, at local, national and international levels.This year’s theme ‘Cooperatives are making a difference in times of financial, food, and environmental crisis confronting societies around the world.’ Financial cooperatives have demonstrated their strength in a time when many financial institutions are failing. In addition, agricultural cooperatives have demonstrated their importance to achieving food security.