Minister for Community Development with specific responsibility for cooperatives, Gretta Roberts, has urged stakeholders from government and civil society, business as well as the youth, to recognize and support the vital role cooperatives play in building sustainable peace.
She made the remarks on the International Day for Cooperatives, celebrated annually on the first Saturday in July.
“The principles guiding cooperatives- voluntary and open membership, democratic member control and concern for community foster an environment where trust is nurtured, and grievances are addressed through dialogue rather than division,” she said. “ On this occasion, I urge all stakeholders from government and civil society, business, and the youth to recognize and support the vital role cooperatives play in building sustainable peace.”
According to Roberts, as organizations that emphasize collaboration over competition, “cooperatives teach us to value harmony, resolve differences amicably, and work together towards progress.”
“Let us continue to support and strengthen the cooperative movement using its time-tested principles to bridge divides, empower individuals, and shape a more peaceful and just world.”
The International Day of Cooperatives highlights the role of cooperatives in promoting peace, social inclusion, and sustainable development.
This year’s theme of the United Nations International Day of Cooperatives, “Cooperatives for a peaceful world”, affirms the contribution of cooperative enterprises to social justice, inclusion and solidarity.
According to an article on www.un.org it recognizes cooperatives as people-centered institutions that can help build trust, strengthen social cohesion, and bring communities together around shared needs and aspirations.
“In a world marked by conflict, inequality, social fragmentation and declining trust, the theme recalls that peace is more than the absence of violence: it also requires inclusion, fairness, dialogue and economic security,” the article said.
