International Year of Cooperatives 2025 (IYC) celebrations took place on 9 April in Stockholm, Sweden, with two events highlighting the sector’s contribution to a more sustainable and inclusive business community – both in Sweden and globally.
In the morning, members of parliament gathered for a seminar celebrating the IYC in the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag). Led by Riksdag’s cooperative network and Swedish Cooperative, the seminar focused on the role of cooperatives in democracy, business and social development.
During the seminar, the ICA’s Director-General, Jeroen Douglas, talked about the power of cooperation around the world and why the UN has designated 2025 as the Year of Cooperatives.
Anders Dahlquist Sjöberg, Chair of Svensk Kooperation (Swedish Cooperatives), also highlighted the role of co-operation at home in Sweden, where cooperative and mutual enterprises account for 10% of the GDP, employ 100,000 people and have a turnover of over 600 billion kronor.
The seminar also featured the coordinators of the Riksdag's cooperative network, Ann-Charlotte Hammar Johnsson (M) and Isak From (S), who highlighted that cooperative enterprises offer a long-term, responsible and member-owned business model that can play an even greater role in the future.
The celebration continued with a hybrid event co-hosted by Svensk Kooperation and the International Cooperative Alliance, which featured 50 in-person and 25 online participants from Sweden and around the world.
“We are thrilled about the decision, and proud to be a part of this IYC, the momentum that this will bring, we believe that it is a unique opportunity, not only to celebrate but to raise awareness, share knowledge and also amplify the potential of cooperatives to meet today's social, economic and environmental challenges,” said Svensk Kooperation’s Managing Director, Camilla Lundberg Ney.
“This is a clear invitation to governments to step up, and we believe Sweden has a great opportunity to lead the way.
“Let's make 2025 a Year of cooperation, innovation and real impact,” she added.
The event’s keynote speaker, Mr Douglas, revealed that the ICA is also in the process of adopting a new ten-year strategy, titled "Practice, Promote, Protect”, focusing on growth, solidarity, and innovation.
Mr Douglas also engaged in a discussion with participants, during which he touched on the cooperative movement's challenges, including siloed work, insufficient access to capital, and the need for agility.
The importance of environmental sustainability and the role of cooperatives in addressing global issues were also stressed. Mr Douglas emphasised the ICA’s important collaborations with United Nations bodies such as the G20, the International Labour Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Bank.
He explained that the world economy was moving towards oligopolisation (or market concentration). This, he argued, demonstrates the need for systems change to create a global economy that works for all.
“The ICA wants to build, through its unique enterprise model, the cooperatives, an economy that works for all at a global scale,” he said.
He referred to the upcoming Second World Social Summit in Doha as an opportunity for the global cooperative movement to make the case for systems change through cooperatives and globalisation from below.
The ICA has recently set up a Cooperatives and Mutuals Leadership Circle (CM50) to develop a Charter and a Commitment Plan during the Summit.
“Let's go to a future full of cooperativism - that is the message we want to bring across,” he said.
The meeting concluded with Mr Douglas receiving a Swedish gift symbolising cooperation.
Main photo: Isak From, Jeroen Douglas, and Ann Charlotte Hammar Johnsson.
