U.N. PASSES RESOLUTION: 2012 IS AN INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF COOPERATIVES

The United Nations passed a resolution Friday, December 18, 2009 declaring 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives, the first time this international body has made such a declaration. 

The resolution comes at a time of great fragility for the world’s economy. 

“Co-ops help people of all means, from all walks of life, work together for a common good,” said Paul Hazen, National Cooperative Business Association’s (NCBA) president and chief executive officer. “That’s why they’re not only so attractive in the U.S., but in countries around the world.” 

While Hazen and several co-ops in the U.S. advocated domestic support, much of the work was done by members of the International Co-operative Alliance, as well as other international cooperatives. Together, the worldwide cooperative movement drew up more than enough U.N. support to pass the resolution.
“We at NCBA want to thank all the co-ops that helped lobby for the resolution. This never would have happened without so many co-ops working together,” Hazen said. 

Previous U.N. observances have included the International Year of Microcredit in 2005, an event which preceded by one year Muhammad Yunus’ and the Grameen Bank’s reception of the Nobel Peace Prize, which they received for their work in microcredit lending.