Co-operative Assembly 2025

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Celebrating the UN’s 2025 International Year of Cooperatives

In 2025, as the United Nations marked the second-ever International Year of Cooperatives (IYC2025), co-operatives around the world came together under the theme “Co-operatives Build a Better World.”
This theme reflected the powerful and lasting impact co-operatives continue to have in creating sustainable, resilient communities. Through this focus, the UN highlighted co-operatives as essential partners in tackling global challenges and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

As a peak body for co-operatives in Australia, The Co-op Federation proudly supported this historic celebration by hosting an Assembly of Co-ops.

“This is only the second time the UN has dedicated a year to cooperatives, and this is not a coincidence. Driven by concern for all communities, cooperatives have successfully adapted to overcome the evolving challenges of our time and have shown repeatedly throughout history that together we are indeed building a better world.” — Ariel Guarco, President of the International Cooperative Alliance.

IYC2025 has been a unique opportunity to raise the visibility of co-operatives globally and advocate for the supportive legal and policy frameworks that help these enterprises thrive. The International Cooperative Alliance led this year-long celebration with a focus on:

• Raising awareness about co-operatives’ contributions to sustainable development,

• Promoting growth and resilience through capacity-building, partnerships, and shared knowledge,

• Advocating for a supportive environment to enable co-operative innovation and entrepreneurship,

• Inspiring young people to join and sustain the movement for a better, more inclusive world.

The Co-operative Assembly spanned two days in iconic Sydney venues: Thursday at the Art Gallery and Friday at the Teachers Federation.