On 19 June 2024, a resolution entitled “International Year of Cooperatives, 2025” initiated by Mongolia has been adopted at the United Nations General Assembly by consensus.

Cooperatives are people-centered enterprises bringing people together in a more democratic and equal way. Today, there are about 3 million cooperatives globally, with 12 percent of people on the planet being members of any of these cooperatives. Thus, the contribution of cooperatives to socio-economic development of any country is duly recognized.

Mongolia has been the main co-sponsor of the GA biannual resolution “Cooperatives in Social Development” since 1980’s and within the scope of this resolution, an International Year of Cooperatives was successfully celebrated in 2012.

Thus, based upon the success of the previous international year in 2012, Mongolia’s initiative to proclaim another International Year of Cooperatives in 2025, with the purpose of supporting the global cooperative movement and accelerating the contribution of cooperatives to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, has been extensively supported by fellow Member States.

During the newly announced International Year of Cooperatives, in 2025, Member States, cooperative enterprises, and stakeholders including the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) are planning to undertake a wide range of activities under the theme of “Cooperatives Build A Better World”.

A range of activities to be conducted within the scope of the “International Year of Cooperatives, 2025” will be in line with the Government of Mongolia’s newly launched program “New Cooperative – Wealthy Herder”.