A recent report by the UN secretary general includes a series of policy recommendations for member states to strengthen the role of co-operatives in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Cooperatives in Social Development report calls for urgent action, warning that only 20% of measurable SDG targets are on track for 2030. Co-ops, it adds, contribute to eradicating poverty, providing decent work, and rebuilding social cohesion and trust.
The report features a range of case studies, from social co-ops in Italy and Indigenous peoples’ co-ops in the Americas to youth-led co-op projects in Africa and co-ops supporting senior residents in the Asia-Pacific region.
The International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) is also mentioned in the report, with the UN secretary general calling on governments to adopt several recommendations to continue the IYC’s momentum.
Recommendations include reviewing and reforming co-op laws, ensuring autonomy, fair taxation, and access to capital for co-ops, and integrating them into national development plans. The report adds that co-ops should be recognised as key actors in the SDGs and the outcomes of the World Social Summit.
Member states should also provide funding to scale co-ops, the report says, and include them in sectoral strategies, particularly those led by marginalised populations.
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Additional recommendations are to work with international bodies to map the co-operative ecosystem, develop robust indicators to track the movement’s social, economic, and environmental impact, and support co-ops in accessing training, leadership development, digital innovation, and market access.
“As the UN Secretary General’s Report on Cooperatives in Social Development points out, we live in an increasingly polarised world that is impacted by institutional failure,” said International Cooperative Alliance president Ariel Guarco, welcoming the report.
“In this context, the report rightly showcases co-operatives as a strategic asset. We welcome the report’s recommendations for supporting sustainable growth and the development of co-operatives and look forward to launching the Cooperatives and Mutuals Leadership Circle (CM50) Manifesto and Commitment Plan, the ICA 2026-2030 Strategy, and the 2025 edition of the World Cooperative Monitor at the World Social Summit in Doha, Qatar, this November.”
