International Year of Cooperatives celebrations kick off in New Delhi

26 November 2024

The global co-operative movement has just kicked off the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) in New Delhi.

More than 3,000 delegates gathered from over 100 countries on 25 November for the start of the global conference of the International Cooperative Alliance. Those attending the opening include India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, UN representatives, government officials and co-operative leaders attended the launch event.

In his speech to the event, Modi said India – which has issued a commemorative stamp to celebrate the IYC – is witnessing a “full expansion of the co-operative movement”.

“Co-operatives are a lifestyle for India,” he added. “Our freedom movement was inspired by co-operation.

Read the full article, International Year of Cooperatives celebrations kick off in New Delhi, in Coop News.

Watch the conference opening on-demand.

The BCCM’s Melina Morrison and Anthony Taylor attended the global launch of the International Year of Cooperatives in Delhi at the International Cooperative Alliance General Assembly and Conference. The overriding message was that co-ops are a vehicle to share prosperity, leaving no one behind and a pathway out of poverty for millions.

It was an honour for Melina and Anthony to hear from global leaders, including:

• Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi
• Honorable Minister for Home Affairs and Cooperation of India, Shri Amit Shah
• Prime Minister of Buthan, Honorable Tshering Tobgay
• Honorable Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, in Fiji, Manoa Kamikamica
• UN Resident Coordinator in India, Mr Shombi Sharp
• ICA President, Ariel Guarco