International Day of Cooperatives

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Cooperatives is observed on the first Saturday of July each year. Some of the day’s goals are to increase awareness on cooperatives, as well as strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other supporting organizations including governments.

What Do People Do?

Cooperatives around the world celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives in many ways. Activities include: messages from the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the UN translated into local languages for worldwide distribution; news articles and radio programs publicizing the awareness of the day; fairs, exhibits, contests and campaigns focused on the topics related to the day; meetings with government officials, UN agencies and other partner organizations; economic, environmental, social and health challenges (such as tree planting); and sponsored cultural events such as theatres and concerts.

Background

Cooperatives are important in the world’s economic and social development. Based as on the principle of cooperation, cooperatives help create new ethics and values in business and economics. In 1895 ICA was formed and since 1927 it observes the first Saturday of July as International Cooperative Day. In 1994 the United Nations recognized and reaffirmed that cooperatives were vital in the world’s economic, social and cultural development. However two years earlier – on December 16, 1992 – the UN General Assembly proclaimed the first Saturday of July 1995 as the International Day of Cooperatives, marking the centenary of ICA’s establishment.

International Day of Cooperatives 2016

Saturday, July 2, 2016

A new report by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the United Nations Environment Program and the Union of Concerned Scientists, released earlier this month finds that climate change is a major threat to several of the world’s heritage sites. The experts warned that many heritage sites that are very popular with tourists around the world could be impacted by climate change.

The report in addition identifies 31 natural and cultural World Heritage sites across 29 countries that are vulnerable to a range of climate change-related impacts, from increasing temperatures, melting glaciers and rising sea levels to extreme weather events, intensifying droughts and more frequent and more severe wildfires.  All the continents with the exception of Australia were looked at in the report. The Australian continent was originally included in the report, but its government requested it be removed because of concerns that the information would hurt its tourism industry.

The scientists reported that many factors including a rise in sea levels, intense storms and wildfires, are impacting these sites and planning at this point is critical in order to lessen the impact.  Some of these sites have already experienced impact from climate change as the experts warn.  These include Easter Island and Yellowstone National Park.

The information and data for the report was drawn from peer-reviewed science literature, technical reports and local experts, as well as domestic evaluations of the sites prepared for the World Heritage Committee.  Thirteen listed heritage sites were examined in comprehensive case studies intended to demonstrate the way climate change has already had an impact. In a study of the Statue of Liberty, for instance, the effects of Hurricane Sandy, which scientists have shown were exacerbated by a rise in the sea level, are explored at length. 

The report also includes a series of recommendations for government agencies, the tourism industry and heritage site managers. The experts believe that tourism, which is one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors, will likely be affected by the dramatic changes expected at these sites, and so will the local communities that depend on that tourism.

World Environment Day is celebrated every year on JUNE 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Program.I

It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began.

Every year since 1977 International Museum Day is organized worldwide around May 18.

This day is an occasion to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society.

ICOM Advisory Committee organizes the theme of this event that, given the high number of countries involved, lasts a day, a weekend, a week or even a month.

From America to Oceania including Africa, Europe and Asia, this international event has confirmed its popularity. 

These recent years, International Museum Day has been experiencing its highest involvement with almost 30,000 museums that organized activities in more than 120 countries.

World Migratory Bird Day is a two-day event annually held on the second weekend of May to highlight the need to protect migratory birds and their habitats. The United Nations is one of the many organizations that support this global awareness campaign.