Cooperatives in Social Development

Resolution No 56/114 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its 57th Session, 19 December 2001

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The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 47/90 of 16 December 1992, 49/155 of 23 December 1994 and 51/58 of 12 December 1996 and its resolutions 54/123 of 17 December 1999, in which it requested the Secretary-General to seek the views of Governments on the draft guidelines aimed at creating a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives and to provide, if necessary, a revised version for adoption,

Recognising that cooperatives, in their various forms, promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of all people, including women, youth, older persons and people with disabilities, and are becoming a major factor of economic and social development,

Recognising also the important contribution of all forms of cooperatives to the follow-up to the World Summit on Social Development, held at Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at Beijing from 4 to 15 September 1995, and the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June 1996, and their five-year reviews, as well as the World Food Summit, held at Rome from 13 to 17 November 1996,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General (Cooperatives in Social Development, A/56/73-E/2001/68, 14th May 2001);
2. Draws the attention of Member States to the draft guidelines aimed at creating a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives, to be considered by them in developing or revising their national policies on cooperatives; (For a copy of the guidelines - Promotion of Cooperatives visit www.caledonia.org.uk/ilo-01.htm )
3. Encourages Governments to keep under review, as appropriate, the legal and administrative provisions governing the activities of cooperatives, with a view to ensuring a supportive environment for them and to protecting and advancing the potential of cooperatives to help them to achieve their goals;
4. Urges Governments, relevant international organisations and specialised agencies, in collaboration with national and international cooperative organisations, to give due consideration to the role and contribution of cooperatives in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and their five-year reviews, as well as the World Food Summit, by, inter alia:

1. Utilising and developing fully the potential and contribution of cooperatives for the attainment of social development goals, in particular the eradication of poverty, the generation of full and productive employment and the enhancement of social integration;
2. Encouraging and facilitating the establishment and development of cooperatives, including taking measures aimed at enabling people living in poverty or belonging to vulnerable groups to engage on a voluntary basis in the creation and development of cooperatives;
3. Taking appropriate measures aimed at creating a supportive and enabling environment for the development of cooperatives by, inter alia, developing an effective partnership between Governments and the cooperative movement;

5. Invites Governments, in collaboration with the cooperative movement, to develop programmes to promote and strengthen the education of members, the elected leadership and professional cooperative management, where appropriate, and to create or improve statistical databases on the development of cooperatives and on their contribution to national economies;
6. Invites Governments, relevant international organisations, specialised agencies and local and national and international cooperative organisations to continue to observe the International Day of Cooperatives annually, on the first Saturday of July, as proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/90;
7. Requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the relevant United Nations and other international organisations and national, regional and international cooperative organisations, to render support to Member States, as appropriate, in their efforts to create a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives and to promote an exchange of experience and best practices, through, inter alia, conferences, workshops and seminars at the national and regional levels;
8. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session.