We are going to share today is what national day? The official date of International Day of Cooperatives is set for the 1st Saturday of July, so it changes every year. For 2018, it will be celebrated on July 7.
International Day of Cooperatives July 07
Message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the International Day of Cooperatives:
“Microfinance is our business! Cooperating to get out of poverty”: this is the theme of the International Day of Cooperatives, which seems quite appropriate in this International Year of Microcredit. It shows that cooperatives and microfinance, when used and administered appropriately, can help the poor to improve their lives.
Provide services to low-income people
Cooperatives have long been providing financial services to the poor and low-income people. Credit unions and credit unions have been created to alleviate poverty and reduce the high debt of small farmers and artisans in cities and the countryside. Co-operatives continue on this path today, in particular by providing affordable and equitable micro finance services. United Nations studies show that by making it easier for the poor to access credit and low-risk savings and insurance products, micro finance services help them increase their income, protect their assets and cope with crises.
Cooperatives are well placed to help the poor, especially in areas left behind by commercial banks. In contrast to profit-seeking financial institutions, financial cooperatives focus on providing services that benefit their members. They belong to their own members, who are also their customers and who manage them democratically. They are close to the communities they serve and are well positioned to implement policies and programs that are responsive to local conditions and the interests and needs of their members. They can thus strengthen the participation of the poor in decision-making and management mechanisms. At the same time,
Achieve sustainable development
That is why, as part of our global initiatives to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, we need to see co-operatives as instruments that have proven successful in enabling the poor, especially women, to access to micro finance and take their destiny into their own hands. That is why the United Nations is working tirelessly to
