Celebrating the UN International Year
of Cooperatives 2025

Message from the ICA President Ariel Guarco for the 103rd International Day of Cooperatives

30 Jun 2025

103rd ICA International Cooperative Day

31st UN International Day of Cooperatives

Dear cooperative friends,

This is not just another day. On July 5, we will celebrate our Day in the International Year of Cooperatives.

I believe this is one of the most important moments since we first began celebrating the International Day of Cooperatives over a century ago.

We are gaining greater prominence on the global stage, as reflected in the recognition from the United Nations and other international organizations of our cooperative socio-business model.

That’s why we also have the responsibility to turn this global recognition into concrete, sustainable, and inclusive solutions in every place where we are present.

Surely, this is already happening in every community where there is a cooperative.

Now is the time to strengthen that impact and expand the reach of our actions—actions rooted in the principles and values that unite us and guide our daily work toward the common good.

Thanks to this identity, we remain strong around the world. And at the same time, we’re able to express cooperative principles in every geography, culture, and country, adapting our values to each community's development strategy.

In this way, we offer local solutions to global challenges—and we can truly live out our motto: that cooperatives build a better world.

We’re not doing it alone. We invite others—economic, social, political actors from both the public and private sectors—to join us in building a future that is prosperous, inclusive, and peaceful.

That’s why, this July 5, we open the doors of our cooperatives and celebrate together with our members, neighbors, and communities.

Together, we proudly say: Happy International Day of Cooperatives!

Let’s keep building inclusive and sustainable solutions for a better world!