2012 was designated as the International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2009.[1]
The designation has honored the use of cooperative organizations to contribute to socio-economic development across the world.[2] It officially launched on 31 October 2011 with the theme "Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World".[3] United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was invited to speak at the November 2011 summit of the International Co-operative Alliance to celebrate the designation.[4]