The International Cooperative Alliance announces the 2026 International Day of Cooperatives theme — Cooperatives for a Peaceful World — ahead of the celebration on 4 July 2026.
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) has announced the theme for the 2026 International Day of Cooperatives (CoopsDay) as Cooperatives for a Peaceful World.
The theme reflects the cooperative model's unique capacity to bring people together, strengthen social cohesion, and advance peaceful, inclusive societies. It is also a collective call from the global cooperative movement to actively contribute to peace.
In this spirit, the theme highlights the role of cooperatives as bridge-builders — bringing communities together, fostering dialogue, and strengthening recovery and resilience in an increasingly fragmented world.
The announcement comes two months ahead of CoopsDay 2026, which falls on 4 July. The International Day of Cooperatives has been celebrated by the international cooperative movement since 1923 and was officially designated by the United Nations in 1995 to highlight the role of cooperatives in economic development, sustainability, and social justice.
The theme aligns with the ICA 2026 Global Conference theme, Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World, taking place in Panama in September. At a time when many parts of the world are experiencing conflict, social fragmentation, rising inequalities, and declining trust, cooperatives offer approaches that strengthen cohesion and rebuild connections across societies.
The role of cooperatives is underlined in the 2019 ICA Declaration on Positive Peace through Cooperatives, which calls on the cooperative movement to deepen its commitment and strengthen actions that advance peaceful and inclusive societies.
ICA Director General Jeroen Douglas said: "Cooperatives have long contributed not only to the absence of conflict, but to the presence of justice, inclusion, and trust — the essential foundations of positive peace. Across sectors and regions, cooperatives contribute to peaceful societies by strengthening local economies, expanding access to vital services, promoting democratic participation, creating opportunities for all and fostering trust and solidarity."
The theme also resonates strongly with Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
In 2026, the celebration marks the 104th International Cooperative Day and the 32nd UN International Day of Cooperatives. The theme is selected jointly by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in consultation with UN partners and the cooperative movement.
Find out more about International Day of Cooperatives and download the 2026 logos at www.coopsday.coop.
Source: International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).
The theme reflects the cooperative model's unique capacity to bring people together, strengthen social cohesion, and advance peaceful, inclusive societies. It is also a collective call from the global cooperative movement to actively contribute to peace.
In this spirit, the theme highlights the role of cooperatives as bridge-builders — bringing communities together, fostering dialogue, and strengthening recovery and resilience in an increasingly fragmented world.
The announcement comes two months ahead of CoopsDay 2026, which falls on 4 July. The International Day of Cooperatives has been celebrated by the international cooperative movement since 1923 and was officially designated by the United Nations in 1995 to highlight the role of cooperatives in economic development, sustainability, and social justice.
The theme aligns with the ICA 2026 Global Conference theme, Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World, taking place in Panama in September. At a time when many parts of the world are experiencing conflict, social fragmentation, rising inequalities, and declining trust, cooperatives offer approaches that strengthen cohesion and rebuild connections across societies.
The role of cooperatives is underlined in the 2019 ICA Declaration on Positive Peace through Cooperatives, which calls on the cooperative movement to deepen its commitment and strengthen actions that advance peaceful and inclusive societies.
ICA Director General Jeroen Douglas said: "Cooperatives have long contributed not only to the absence of conflict, but to the presence of justice, inclusion, and trust — the essential foundations of positive peace. Across sectors and regions, cooperatives contribute to peaceful societies by strengthening local economies, expanding access to vital services, promoting democratic participation, creating opportunities for all and fostering trust and solidarity."
The theme also resonates strongly with Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
In 2026, the celebration marks the 104th International Cooperative Day and the 32nd UN International Day of Cooperatives. The theme is selected jointly by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), in consultation with UN partners and the cooperative movement.
Find out more about International Day of Cooperatives and download the 2026 logos at www.coopsday.coop.
Source: International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).