2026 CoopsDay theme: Cooperatives for a Peaceful World
The International Cooperative Alliance has today (4 May) announced the theme for the 2026 International Day of Cooperatives (CoopsDay) as Cooperatives for a Peaceful World. The theme serves not only as a reflection of the cooperative model’s unique capacity to bring people together, strengthen social cohesion, and advance peaceful, inclusive societies, but also as 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 this year 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, emphasising a people-centred model.
The theme also aligns with the ICA 2026 Global Conference theme, Building Bridges: Cooperative Contributions for a Peaceful World.
At a time when many parts of the world are experiencing conflict, social fragmentation, rising inequalities, economic insecurity, and declining trust, there is a growing need to build bridges and support approaches that strengthen cohesion and rebuild connections across societies. The conference,
which is taking place in Panama in September, will explore the contributions cooperatives make towards peace by building bridges between people, communities and ideas and creating inclusive spaces for participation.
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.
Jeroen Douglas, ICA Director General, 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 (SDG) 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and the ICA and the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) are developing a policy brief to highlight cooperatives’ contributions to peacebuilding as part of the IYC2025 SDG policy brief series.
The International Day of Cooperatives is held every year on the first Saturday of July to increase awareness of cooperatives’ contributions to development and peace.
In 2026, the celebration marks:
The 104th International Cooperative Day, and
The 32nd UN International Day of Cooperatives