NCBA - National Cooperative Business Association
05/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/19/2026 15:02
This year’s #CoopsDay highlights cooperatives as bridge builders
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) this month announced the theme for the 2026 International Day of Cooperatives: "Cooperatives for a Peaceful World." The theme celebrates the unique capacity of cooperatives to contribute to global peace and prosperity.
The theme also highlights the role of cooperatives as bridge-builders, bringing communities together, fostering dialogue and democratic decision-making, and strengthening stability and resilience in an increasingly fragmented world.
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At a time when many people are navigating conflict, deepening political divides, economic instability and growing distrust and loneliness, cooperatives can build bridges that rebuild trust and strengthen social cohesion.
"Cooperatives have long contributed not only to the absence of conflict, but to the presence of justice, inclusion and trust-the essentially foundations of positive peace," said Jeroen Douglas, Director General of the ICA.
"Wherever there is a cooperative, there is a seed of peace, democracy, inclusion and equity," ICA President Ariel Guarco added.
"Wherever there is a cooperative, there is a seed of peace, democracy, inclusion and equity." - Ariel Guarco, ICA President
Celebrated every year on the first Saturday of July, this year's #CoopsDay falls on July 4. The International Day of Cooperatives has been celebrated by co-ops globally since 1923. The emphasis day was officially designated by the United Nations in 1995 to highlight the role of cooperatives in economic development, sustainability and social justice.
The #CoopsDay theme is selected jointly by the International Cooperative Alliance and the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in consultation with UN partners and the cooperative movement.
Learn more about the International Day of Cooperatives and download the 2026 logo at coopsday.coop.
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