A HALF OF SELF-HELP Historically, the foundation of the modern cooperative movement dates back to the year 1844 when a small group of weavers set up the first consumer cooperative in the British town of Rochdale in Lancashire. This, the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, gave local working people their first taste of economic freedom and independence. Category I consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. From those humble beginnings just a little over 150 years ago, the cooperative movement has burgeoned into a globe-spanning alliance in over 100 countries, representing a vast range of activities from agriculture and fishing to tourism and insurance, to housing and banking. Today, the ICA boasts an individual membership of 760 million people and it is estimated that, all told, the total number of persons whose livelihoods are to a significant extent made secure by cooperative enterprises approaches three billion people, more than half the world's population.
Cooperatives are democratic, participatory organizations actively controlled by their members.
Concerned about the communities in which they operate, cooperatives strive to align member needs with the overall goal of sustainable development. The cooperative movement is grounded in a value system which stresses self-help, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. The complementarity between the values of the cooperative movement and that of the UN itself is evident. Especially today, in the light of new economic and social trends, it is increasingly recognized that cooperatives play a pivotal role in creating a sustainable society. With their remarkable range and diversity, they often stand out as examples of efficiency and effectiveness, not to mention serving as tangible models for social partnerships in progress.