National Mechanisms

The United Nations General Assembly resolution proclaiming the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, invites all Member States to consider taking action towards establishing national mechanisms, where appropriate, such as national committees, to prepare for, observe and follow up on the International Year of Cooperatives, in particular for the purpose of planning, stimulating and harmonizing the activities of the governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations concerned with the preparations for and observance of the International Year;

National mechanisms are essential for the effective coordination of activities and initiatives to mark any International Year and key in ensuring that the messages for the Year at the international level are effectively conveyed to stakeholders at the national and local levels.

As outlined in ECOSOC resolution 1980/67, international years serve to further international cooperation and understanding on issues of global concern and serve as a platform for finding solutions to these global problems. ECOSOC 1980/67 recommends that Member States lead the celebratory efforts, with any measures and activities carried out at the international level serving to complement and support their national efforts. For the International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the national mechanisms should work towards the following four main objectives:

• Raise Public Awareness: Highlight the contributions of cooperatives to sustainable development and empowerment of people.
• Promote Growth and Development: Strengthen the business support systems for cooperatives, including availability of credit.
• Advocate for Supportive Frameworks: Encourage countries to develop an enabling legal and policy environment for the growth and development of cooperatives.
• Inspire Leadership: Foster purposeful leadership and engage youth in the cooperative movement.

National mechanisms should be inclusive and made up of actors at the country-level, such as local governments, representatives of cooperatives and other stakeholders, relevant members of civil-society and NGOs, relevant private sector institutions and academia. Countries may wish to take the following steps.

1. Establish a national focal point for regular communications. The focal point could be the government ministry or department responsible for cooperatives; the agency responsible for regulatory affairs concerning cooperatives; or the national apex body for cooperatives.
2. Identify the relevant stakeholders to be part of the national mechanism, to promote the level of diversity and partnership necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the mechanism in achieving the objectives of the year, including inputs from cooperatives of all sectors. Representation from, inter alia, civil society organizations, specifically those addressing issues of decent work and/or poverty eradication; from the legal fraternity, specially those addressing business and employment law; and relevant research and academic institutions may be included.
3. Where appropriate, United Nations country teams, especially the office of the Resident Coordinator may be part of the national mechanism and may wish to integrate the planning of the International Year in their work programmes.

National mechanisms are encouraged to develop, as appropriate, a plan of action containing activities and initiatives for the year and beyond that is relevant to the needs of their communities and constituents. They may:

1. Design and publish locally focused outreach and promotional materials on the International Year of Cooperatives. This could include brochures, pamphlets and a National website linked to the official United Nations Cooperatives Year website.
2. Prepare an agenda for national action for the International Year and beyond.
3. Host meetings, conferences and special events on national and local priority issues related to cooperatives.
4. Develop a media campaign to raise awareness about cooperatives and their contribution to sustainable development.
5. Develop policy and legislative suggestions directed at creating an enabling environment for cooperatives.
6. Develop and disseminate comprehensive guidelines on cooperative formation and a list of resources available for cooperatives
7. Coordinate capacity building seminars and training aimed at developing the professionalism and effectiveness of cooperatives.
8. Establish research centres or work with existing research institutions to develop research and data on cooperatives.
9. Document events and initiatives carried out in celebration of the year.
10. Prepare an evaluation report at the end of the Year documenting the activities carried out, their success, impact and lessons learned.

National activities will reflect the theme of the International Year, which is: Cooperatives Build a Better World. This focus allows for the incorporation of a wide range of nationally and locally relevant topics and perspectives, while still contributing to the international dialogue on cooperatives and their contributions to sustainable development in all its dimensions.