{"id":248787,"date":"2025-10-17T09:32:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T13:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/?p=248787"},"modified":"2025-10-17T09:32:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T13:32:49","slug":"celebrating-the-2025-international-year-of-cooperatives-a-renewed-commitment-to-collective-prosperity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/celebrating-the-2025-international-year-of-cooperatives-a-renewed-commitment-to-collective-prosperity\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives: A Renewed Commitment to Collective Prosperity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed 2025 as the <em>International Year of Cooperatives<\/em>, recognizing the essential role co-operative and mutual enterprises play in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building resilient, inclusive economies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This milestone year is especially meaningful for the Canadian co-operative movement. It marks not only a moment to celebrate our collective achievements but also an opportunity to reaffirm our shared vision for a stronger, more sustainable economy \u2014 one built on cooperation, long-term resilience, and democratic ownership. Co-operatives and mutuals continue to demonstrate that economic resilience and community well-being are mutually beneficial drivers of long-term prosperity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Shared Milestone for the Co-operative Movement<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.desjardins.com\/on\/en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Desjardins Group<\/strong><\/a>, one of Canada\u2019s most enduring co-operative success stories, celebrates its <strong>125th anniversary<\/strong> \u2014 a milestone that coincides perfectly with the UN\u2019s International Year of Cooperatives. To mark the occasion, Desjardins has renewed its commitment to the co-operative model as a crucial lever for sustainable development, social inclusion, and financial empowerment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the words of Desjardins Group\u2019s declaration, the organization emphasizes that \u201cthe cooperative model remains one of the most powerful vehicles to build a society that is more fair, inclusive and prosperous for everyone.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, the <a href=\"https:\/\/cqcm.coop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Conseil qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois de la coop\u00e9ration et de la mutualit\u00e9 (CQCM)<\/strong><\/a> has called on all co-operative and mutual organizations across Quebec \u2014 and Canada \u2014 to join in signing its declaration <em>affirming our collective adherence to a more equitable, united, and sustainable development model<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These shared commitments reflect a strong, unified message: the co-operative movement continues to evolve and perform, guided by principles that align economic performance with social value and community resilience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada: Our Declaration<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the national voice of Canadian co-operatives, <strong>Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada (CMC)<\/strong> is proud to share the <strong>Declaration on the Occasion of the International Year of Cooperatives<\/strong> that was adopted by the members at this year\u2019s Annual General Meeting \u2014 a collective resolution that underscores our movement\u2019s leadership and purpose in 2025 and beyond.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Declaration on the Occasion of the International Year of Cooperatives<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Whereas:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 2025 the <em>International Year of Cooperatives<\/em>, highlighting their global impact and accelerating efforts to achieve the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The members of CMC wish to reaffirm their commitment and convictions in this year of valuing and promoting the contribution of co-operatives to Canada\u2019s development;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada plays a vital role in mobilizing and representing the Canadian co-operative movement nationally and internationally;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Be it resolved that:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We reaffirm that co-operative and mutual enterprises are more egalitarian and inclusive, standing as solutions to growing social inequalities and economic imbalance;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We affirm that these enterprises foster democracy, collective wealth, and shared prosperity through equitable distribution of benefits and collective ownership;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We commit to evolving and innovating the co-operative model to meet the aspirations of new generations and the realities of a changing world;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We prioritize human-scale action by strengthening the skills, commitment, and well-being of the people who power our movement;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We engage youth in the values of solidarity, mutual aid, and civic participation through meaningful entrepreneurial experiences;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We support innovation, inter-cooperation, and collaboration within the co-operative and mutual development ecosystem;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We champion education on co-operation and mutuality to develop the next generation of leaders;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We promote co-operative conversions as a solution to Canada\u2019s succession challenges in small and medium-sized enterprises;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We mobilize our collective action across Canada to strengthen co-operatives and mutuals as key agents of change in addressing socio-ecological challenges;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Together, we showcase Canada\u2019s co-operative expertise on the world stage through international co-operation initiatives;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Together, we continue to create sustainable local jobs, improve access to essential products and services, and support collective entrepreneurship;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And together, we pledge to use this declaration to promote Canadian leadership in co-operation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looking Forward<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this International Year of Cooperatives, CMC invites all co-operative and mutual organizations \u2014 large and small, local and national \u2014 to <strong>join us in celebrating and sharing this Declaration<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, we are demonstrating that the co-operative model remains essential to shaping a future that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us build on the International Year of Cooperatives to make 2025 a year of renewed pride, action, and solidarity for Canada\u2019s co-operative and mutual movement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udc49 Add your voice to the CQCM statement and show your support for cooperatives (in French only):<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/cqcm.coop\/articles\/declaration-de-lannee-internationale-des-cooperatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/cqcm.coop\/articles\/declaration-de-lannee-internationale-des-cooperatives<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/canada.coop\/wp-content\/uploads\/CMC-Declaration-ENG.pdf\">Read the full declaration from CMC<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives, recognizing the essential role co-operative and mutual enterprises play in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building resilient, inclusive economies.&nbsp; This milestone year is especially meaningful for the Canadian co-operative movement. It marks not only a moment to celebrate our collective [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":248785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[160,135],"class_list":["post-248787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-co-op-week","tag-members-engagement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248787"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248800,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248787\/revisions\/248800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada.coop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}