World Cooperative Day

World Cooperative Day is a day aimed at reminding people of the economic and social role and importance of cooperatives, based on the gathering of the Rochdale Pioneers on 21 December 1844 in Manchester, England, an event regarded as one of the pivotal moments in the cooperative movement. For many years, this day was observed on 21 December. Cooperatives are organizational forms in which individuals unite their material and moral resources to meet needs they could not address individually.

The formation recognized as the beginning of modern cooperativism is the Rochdale Pioneers, who came together in the city of Manchester, England, on 21 December 1844. This association laid the foundation for the development of cooperative principles and the international recognition of cooperatives, which is why 21 December was long regarded as World Cooperative Day.

The history of cooperativism in Türkiye began with the Memleket Sandıkları, established in 1863. This institution is considered one of the earliest examples of modern cooperativism in the country. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk directly contributed to the development of cooperativism by opening the first Agricultural Credit Cooperative in a region including several villages in Silifke district and becoming its first member.

In Türkiye, cooperatives operate in various sectors including agricultural marketing, agricultural credit, beet growers, irrigation, artisan guarantee, consumer, construction, and village development cooperatives. Due to Türkiye’s status as an agricultural country, the importance of agricultural cooperativism has steadily increased. Cooperatives play a vital role in enabling producers to organize themselves, protect against intermediation, usury, and price fluctuations, support economic and social development, and empower low-income producers and consumers. Cooperatives also hold a significant position in reducing price disparities and intermediation problems encountered in the export of agricultural products.

The observance of 21 December as World Cooperative Day has long been practiced to raise awareness of cooperativism at both international and national levels. On this day, the social solidarity structures of cooperatives, their roles in economic and social development, and the principles of equality and mutual aid within society are emphasized. In Türkiye, various cooperatives, public institutions, and civil society organizations continue to hold events on 21 December to commemorate cooperative activities and their historical development.

Although the international date has been changed and moved to July, some cooperatives, civil society organizations, public institutions, and universities in Türkiye still observe 21 December as World Cooperative Day. This practice is maintained for various reasons related to raising awareness of cooperativism. However, the need to align with international practice is occasionally emphasized. The United Nations has called on all member states to observe the International Cooperative Day on the newly designated date.

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) began observing 21 December each year as World Cooperative Day starting in 1923. This practice continued uninterrupted until 1994. During this period, 21 December was universally recognized as the common celebration date for the international cooperative movement.

In 1994, the ICA submitted a proposal to the United Nations to reschedule the International Cooperative Day. Taking into account the significant role cooperatives play in economic, social, and cultural development, the United Nations accepted this proposal and decided that the International Cooperative Day would be observed annually on the first Saturday of July. Thus, both the ICA and the United Nations reached agreement on a common date, and celebrations began under this new date and format starting in 1995. The selection of 1995 was also symbolically significant as it marked the 100th anniversary of the ICA’s founding.

International Cooperative Day aims to raise awareness about cooperative activities, highlight the achievements of the cooperative movement, and strengthen international solidarity. Each year a different theme is selected, emphasizing cooperatives’ contributions in areas such as equality, sustainability, democratic participation, social solidarity, and access to goods and services.

The observance of 21 December as World Cooperative Day was rooted in the Rochdale tradition of the 19th century, and the ICA adopted this date as its international celebration day beginning in 1923. However, following the proposal submitted by the ICA to the United Nations in 1994, the celebration date was revised. The United Nations, in collaboration with the ICA, decided that the International Cooperative Day would be observed on the first Saturday of July, and celebrations have been held on this new date since 1995.